


Bandicoot Advent Calendar

by mapleprincess



Category: Crash Bandicoot (Video Games)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkward Tension, Babysitting, Backstory, Bittersweet Ending, Bonding, Crack Treated Seriously, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Family Feels, Female Friendship, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Heartwarming, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kart racing, Male-Female Friendship, Meeting for the first time, Memory Loss, Nitro Squad, Slight Canon Divergence, Wholesome, crash 4 spoilers, toddler nina wrecking havoc on her unfortunate babysitters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:06:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 31,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27822736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mapleprincess/pseuds/mapleprincess
Summary: 24 short stories revolving around mutants, scientists and their friends; some will be heartwarming, some others might be bittersweet, but none will end in tears - unless they're tears of joy!A new chapter will be uploaded daily from December 1st to December 24th. Happy holidays, everyone![Latest chapter: Against his better judgement, Pinstripe might be falling in love.]
Relationships: Coco Bandicoot & Crash Bandicoot, Coco Bandicoot & N. Gin, Coco Bandicoot & Nina Cortex, Coco Bandicoot & Tawna (Crash Bandicoot 1), Crash Bandicoot & Nina Cortex, Crash Bandicoot/Tawna, Crunch Bandicoot & Tiny Tiger, Liz Bandicoot & Neo Cortex, Liz Bandicoot & Polar, Megumi (Crash Bandicoot)/Pinstripe Potoroo, Neo Cortex & Nina Cortex, Nina Cortex & N. Gin, Nitrus Brio & Nina Cortex, Tawna Bandicoot & Alternate Tawna Bandicoot, ami bandicoot & crunch bandicoot, ami bandicoot & tiny tiger
Comments: 11
Kudos: 39





	1. December 1 - Through the Looking Glass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, and welcome to this little advent calendar project!  
> I've been in a huge Crash mood since IAT was released, and so I thought it could be fun to do something with it, especially since this franchise has been very near and dear to my heart for over 21 years.  
> I think 2020 has been a hard year for everyone, and I hope this collection of short stories can bring you a smile or a laugh.
> 
> So, how will this work? Well, I've written down 24 themes/prompts/headcannons on pieces of paper, and each day I'll draw one at random - exactly like an advent calendar!
> 
> Lots of characters will appear! Some chapters will also include ships I know aren't really popular, but of course you can skip them if it's not your thing ;)  
> Without further ado, here's today's entry! Beware, it has huge Crash 4 spoilers.  
> Enjoy!

With a smile, Tawna brushed her thumb over the thick photo album resting on her lap. Its jacket had been almost entirely covered in bright stickers, all of them hailing from Coco’s personal collection. The only space that had been spared by the Bandicoot siblings' sticker frenzy was the middle of the cover, on which they had carefully glued a picture of the three of them enjoying a day on the beach, Tawna behind Crash and Coco, the three mutants smiling at the camera.

The two bandicoots had managed to capture many moments of their recent adventure thanks to the tablet Coco carried everywhere, and they had also succeeded in immortalizing many of the days that had followed Cortex and the Tropy’s defeat. Playing beach volley, having a video game tournament, hiking up N.Sanity peak, trying out Coco’s latest improvements on her and Crash’s karts – almost of all those precious moments had been captured and neatly pasted on the album’s pages.

Crash and Coco hadn’t been content with just gluing pictures, though. They had decorated each page with stickers, drawings, quotes, thoughts and loving messages, framing each photo with fond memories and heartwarming tidbits. Each page was a work of art Tawna knew she would never get tired of contemplating again and again.

The album had been a surprise, one the Bandicoot siblings had secretly been working on every night when they were sure Tawna had fallen asleep. The day before, right after dinner – Tawna’s last dinner before she headed back to her own dimension – Crash had produced a heavy package from underneath the table, clumsily wrapped in glittering pink paper with a huge red bow on top. Tawna had blinked, surprised, before carefully opening her present, taking her time even though Crash and Coco were urging her to rip it open.

She had no words back then, and she still didn’t have any now.

There was no way she could ever express how grateful she was for their homemade present. Tawna believed that, no matter how empathetic Crash and Coco were about the loss of their counterparts from Tawna’s dimension, the siblings didn’t fully grasped how devastated she had been by their loss- and how she was still in the process of healing. They probably knew how much she appreciated the gift, but they likely didn’t realize how much she would cherish it and treat it as a treasure.

A sharp knock on her door drew Tawna out of her thoughts, and she blinked in surprise. She recognized that way of knocking easily- it was hers.

“Come on in!”

The door opened, and Tawna found she was right. As the adventurer stood up, her blonde counterpart stepped inside the small guest bedroom, her steps uneasy.  
It was strange, finding herself face to face with someone who was and wasn’t her, someone who looked exactly like her but was a complete stranger at the same time. The other Tawna – which she mentally dubbed Blonde Tawna – offered her a kind smile, showing she came in peace.

The two Tawnas had met the day before, when Blonde Tawna had come back from a Grand Prix and screamed her head off for a while, mainly to reproach her boyfriend and his sister that they had gotten involved in an incredibly dangerous adventure all on their own – save for Aku Aku and help they had unexpectedly found on the way. The mask had tried to explain that the situation was so urgent they hadn’t had time to call for backup, and that they intended to tell her all about it once they were safe and sound, Cortex’s plans were destroyed, and she was back from her racing competition.

Blonde Tawna had ignored all of that, ranting in a concern she disguised as anger, until her eyes had fallen on the other Tawna.  
The whole alternate dimension thing had taken a while to explain to the incredulous racer, but she had eventually understood, although she had made a point of avoiding her alternate counterpart afterwards.  
Until now, at least.

“Hey…” the blonde cleared her throat. “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”  
“Not really.” Tawna shrugged, her thumb pointing at the massive bag behind her, full of souvenirs and knick-knacks. “I was just packing my stuff.”  
“Cool. I wanted to talk a bit with you.”

Tawna raised a puzzled brow, but sat on the bed and lightly pet the space next to her, inviting the other mutant to join her. Blonde Tawna accepted her offer, letting out a big sigh as she sat down.

“I’m sorry for yesterday. I… wasn’t really nice towards you.”  
“That’s fine. Must have been weird to meet yourself from another dimension.”

The racer giggled, bringing a smile to Tawna’s face.

“Yeah, you can say that. It’s just… I heard about the whole "Tropy and Cortex are back" mess from Megumi, who heard it from Pinstripe, and I was worried sick about it. I thought that... if neither Crash nor Coco told me they would take on such an insanely dangerous mission, then maybe… maybe something had happened to them.”

She took a pause. Tawna’s throat became suddenly dry, the other bandicoot’s words hitting far too close to home.

“So when I arrived and I found the two of them happily chatting in front of the house, like they hadn’t just survived the insane mayhem Cortex and Tropy created, I was at the same time so relieved and so angry that I couldn’t stop myself. Especially when I saw you.”  
“You felt like _you_ should have been there, didn’t you?”

Blonde Tawna blinked in surprise, but she nodded when she met Tawna’s gaze, filled with heartache and understanding.

“Yeah.” the blonde smiled faintly. “Which is why I came here. To apologize for being so rude, and to thank you for everything you’ve done for them.”  
“Huh?”

It was Tawna’s turn to be taken by surprise.

“Aku Aku told me how you protected them, even when they had no idea you were. If you hadn’t been there, they would…”

Her voice trailed off, the end of her sentence clearly too hard to get out.

“I just did what I had to.” the adventurer answered, wrapping an arm around her counterpart’s shoulders, the vulnerable and pained look on the blonde’s face too familiar and too painful to see. “There was no way I would ever abandon them. Even if they’re not “my” Crash and Coco, they _are_ Crash and Coco, and there are no lengths I wouldn’t go to to protect them. But you know that, don’t you?”

Blonde Tawna nodded, her green eyes misty with unshed tears. Tawna waited for a bit, wondering if she should continue, if she should reveal as much of herself as she could to the other Tawna.

“And…” she started, her own eyes starting to sting with tears as she took her decision. “I already lost them once. I couldn’t lose them again, no matter what I had to do to protect them.”

It was the blonde’s turn to give her counterpart a much-needed hug as the adventurer felt tears spilling from her eyes and coursing down her furry cheeks. It was the first time since they had safely come back from their multidimensional adventure that Tawna allowed herself to let go and let her emotions flow freely, relief and panic, happiness and heartache. Blonde Tawna’s embrace was comforting, and she couldn’t help but be as relieved as she was ashamedly jealous that the racer was undoubtedly able to take care of her Crash and Coco.

“I can’t… I can’t even begin to imagine what it must have been like.” Blonde Tawna whispered, horrified at the very thought of losing the two people she would trade her life for if needed.  
“And I hope you never find out.” Tawna answered, gently removing herself from the other bandicoot’s hug. “I… you know what, I’ll be as honest as I can with you. You’re so, _so_ lucky to have them in your life, and I can’t help but be envious that every day you get to see them, talk to them, hug them, tell them you love them. I sincerely wish that it lasts for as long as it can, but… at the same time I’m jealous, you know?”

Without the slightest hint of anger or even annoyance, Blonde Tawna nodded, the fur around her snout just as wet as her counterpart’s.

“So please, before I leave… promise me something. Promise me you’ll keep watching over them, no matter what happens. Should you and Crash break up, should anyone or anything come between you, please, promise me you’ll _always_ be there for them.”

Blonde Tawna nodded gravely as she took the other Tawna’s hands in her own, her grasp warm and resolute.

“I love Crash and Coco with all my heart, and I always promised myself I would do anything for them, far before I met you. But meeting you, hearing about everything you’ve done for them, in this dimension and in yours, how much you love and care about them, how your love transcends dimensions… it makes my resolve stronger than I ever thought possible. You have my word I will always protect them, with my life if I have to.”

The two Tawnas solemnly nodded, sealing the blonde’s vow with the strength of their gazes and the determination coursing through their twin bodies.

Suddenly, Coco’s voice broke through the heavy silence between them, all the way from downstairs:

“Tawna and Tawna! Wanna play some beach volley before it’s completely dark outside?”

A smile blossoming simultaneously on their faces, the two bandicoots got up and raced outside the room, hands intertwined and hearts beating faster with sheer happiness at they wordlessly thanked whoever was watching over them for granting them one more day with Crash and Coco.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, uuuuh, this did end it tears, and it was kinda sad I guess, but in the end it's a happy conclusion, right?  
> It's probably the most angsty prompt on my list, so it's only going to get more cheerful from now on!  
> See you tomorrow!


	2. December 2 - Family ties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope you're all doing well.  
> Here's the second entry :) featuring Nina and Cortex! The story takes place just after Twinsanity's ending.  
> Please enjoy!

“Good night, Nina.”

Cortex gently kissed his niece’s forehead before heading towards the door. It had been a very, very long day, but after what seemed like hours, Coco and N. Gin had _finally_ managed to get him out of Crash’s head – literally -, putting an end to the latest commotion bandicoots and evil scientists had found themselves involved with.  
Most importantly, Nina was safe and sound, tucked in her bed, and there were two of Pinstripe’s men in front of her room to make sure she could catch some well-deserved rest.

“Uncle Neo?”

Just as he was about to open the door, Nina’s voice reached the scientist. Caught off-guard – he hadn’t heard that sweet, almost shy tone of hers in years – Cortex turned around.

“Yes?”  
“There’s… something I’ve been wanting to ask you.”

Cortex sighed: he had planned to head to his own bedroom, crash face-first into his bed and sleep for at least a whole day. But when he saw the determined look on his niece’s face, he had a feeling that whatever troubled Nina wouldn’t be dismissed with a simple “let’s talk about it tomorrow” – unless he wanted the girl to do her absolute best to make him regret his decision.

“What is it?” Cortex asked as he made his way back to Nina’s bed.

The girl was sitting up against her pillow, twirling one of her long ebony strands with a mechanical index, as she always did when something was bugging her. Cortex sat down on the bed, next to his niece, waiting for her to answer. His head was pounding, he was beyond exhausted and he wanted the discussion to be done as soon as possible, but he still gave Nina all the time she needed to gather her thoughts.

After a few moments, Nina raised her dark eyes towards her uncle and began to speak.

“When the other Crash kidnapped me, back in the 10th Dimension, I heard you calling for me.”

_Oh no._

“But you didn’t call me your niece- well, you did, but only to correct yourself because you called me your “daughter”.”

Cortex knew _exactly_ what Nina wanted to ask him, and he also knew there was no escaping it. If the girl didn’t get a satisfactory answer from him tonight, then either she’d ask again and again until he gave her a suitable explanation, or she’d gather information on her own.  
He didn’t know which option was worse.

“So, I wanted to know. Am I _really_ your daughter?” Nina finally asked, her gaze fierce. “Were you married at some point? Or was it a fling?”

Cortex blinked, taken aback by Nina’s sudden incisiveness, the girl showing a sharp contrast with her earlier uneasiness. Twin onyxes burning with determination and curiosity were fixated on him, and there was no escaping Nina’s incoming barrage of questions unless Cortex answered all of them.

“Well, I-”  
“You’re _definitely_ not the type to get married.” the girl continued, pensively poking at her cheek with two bionic fingers. “So… maybe an affair.”  
“ _Nina!_ ” Cortex chocked, not expecting her to be so blunt.  
“Was it with someone I know? One of your experiments, maybe?” Nina suddenly stuck her tongue out as if she’d just gagged on something particularly unpleasant. “Please, just tell me it wasn’t one of the Bandicoot girls.”  
“What?! Ew, no!” it was the scientist’s turn to shiver at the thought.  
“Then…” a pause, and then Nina’s almost amused expression turned a bit sour. “… was _I_ an experiment?”  
“Oh… Nina, dear, of course not.” Cortex was quick to pat the girl’s shoulder reassuringly, guilt poking at him all of a sudden. “I would _never_ -”

Nina cut him by simply raising her obviously 100% artificial hands up with a fatigued expression.

“… fair enough.” the evil genius sighed. “I... might have done a few tweaks here and there. But I swear that you weren’t born in my lab- or in any other lab.” he quickly added as Nina started to raise a finger.  
“Then… where was I born?” she asked, almost quietly, as if her previous banter had given her the courage to show her genuine concerns about the subject.

There was a long pause. Nina’s eyes didn’t leave Cortex, and the scientist could feel his own anxiety about the subject rise as seconds passed by. Imperturbable, and either not seeing her guardian’s increasing distress or choosing to ignore it, Nina kept staring at the man she called her uncle, her right hand tapping nervously against her left arm.

In the end, Nina’s silent insistence won.

“Do you remember what happened to my family?” Cortex slowly started.

Nina perked up, her eyes slightly widening. Cortex has spoken in his Very Serious Tone, the one he only used for grave matters and that never failed to make her pay extra attention to what he was saying. She didn’t flinch when Cortex reached for her hand, neither of them knowing if he wanted to soothe her or give himself some encouragement.

“Yeah.” Nina nodded softly. “They all burned in their circus, around a year after I was born. Freak accident involving a human cannonball act and faulty fireworks.”  
“Well, it… might not have been an accident.”

Nina couldn’t help the little gasp that escaped her as she watched Cortex avert his eyes from her, horror and dread clawing at her chest.  
Cortex had done his best to keep her ignorant about the rest of their family, save for why they didn’t have a family anymore. Nina had only learnt about the horrific abuse they had made the scientist go through because she had spied on conversations he’d sometimes have with Brio or N. Gin.

But even with this knowledge, and even if the two of them were self-proclaimed evil geniuses, it was still hard for Nina to process that her caretaker had basically admitted he’d murdered their entire family.

“You… you killed them all.” she whispered, her free hand reaching for her mouth.

Cortex turned his head towards her, and the girl’s heart sank. She had never seen such hatred and anguish on her guardian’s face, and the heartbreaking sight was enough to bring her close to tears – though Cortex would surely ground her if she told him so.

“Yes, I did.” the scientist acquiesced, his grip on Nina’s hand growing stronger even though it started to tremble. “You have no idea what these… these people were like, Nina. All of them. My parents, my siblings… even your own mother, my sister Nicole… you and I, we’re villains- but they were simply _monsters_.”

He spat the last word with as much rancor as he could, and before he could keep on explaining things, Nina threw herself at him, hugging him tight while making sure her mechanical arms didn’t suffocate him.  
She didn’t need to tell her uncle why she did so, nor did Cortex ask. He just hugged her back, and they simply remained that way for a moment, comforting the other.

“But you didn’t kill _me_.” Nina whispered when she pulled back from their embrace. “Or… you didn’t plan on me surviving.”  
“Of course I planned on you surviving, my little imp!” Cortex objected, scandalized. “I might be evil, but I’m not heartless. I don’t kill babies.”  
“Then you could have left me there to be found by someone else, or dropped me at an orphanage or something.” Nina continued, struggling to understand her uncle’s logic. “Instead of being stuck with… someone who reminds you of your sister.”  
“I’m not stuck with you.” Cortex rolled his eyes.

He would have ordinarily added something like “… not anymore, since you’re in a boarding school” and she would have replied with “uh huh, I’m the one stuck with you”, but not tonight. Right now, none of them felt like bantering the way they always did.  
Cortex groaned loudly. He hated being cheesy, even when it came to Nina, but he needed to tell her just how much he loved her, and she needed to hear it.

“When I look at you, I _never_ see Nicole.” he affirmed, gently petting Nina’s head. “Nicole was stupid, arrogant, ugly and simply unbearable. Her only goal in life was to please our parents and do whatever they wanted, especially if it involved making me miserable. I never, not even once, saw any of that disgusting skank in you. When I look at you, I see a talented and clever girl. I see a beautiful girl who can throw punches and defend herself, and who isn’t afraid to be different and be herself. Someone... someone I'm really proud of.”  
“And I don’t make you miserable?”  
“No.” Cortex firmly nodded, earning a grin from his niece. “You can be annoying, or even _very_ annoying when you put your mind to it, but you don’t make me miserable.”

Nina snorted in laughter, making her uncle smile in return.

“That’s why my tongue slipped earlier.” Cortex concluded. “Daughter, niece – I don’t really see the difference anymore. You’re Nina, and I love you.”  
“I love you too, Uncle Neo. Is it fine if I still call you that?”  
“Of course it is. But…”

It was Cortex’s turn to look pensive, which made Nina curiously watch as the gears turned in her uncle’s mind.

“You’ve never really asked me about your parents before. How come it suddenly bothered you?”  
“Hmmm…” Nina braided a few strands of her as she thought about it, struggling to understand herself, to dig deeper and find why exactly her uncle’s slip-up had troubled her so much.

After a little while of braiding, untying and braiding her hair again, she grinned as she found the answer.

“I think… I’ve never really cared about them. I have you, I have Uncle Gin, I had Uncle Brio before you two had your little fight-” she still regularly exchanged letters with Brio, but Cortex didn’t need to know that, “I have cool mutants to hang out with, so I guess it never really mattered to me. It’s just… when I heard you calling me your daughter, it made me think about all of that. Family and stuff.”  
“Hmm.” Cortex nodded in understanding.  
“… and also I was wondering who the _hell_ would be my mother if you were my father.”  
“NINA, LANGUAGE!” her uncle gasped in shock as the girl cackled, delighted to have roused her caretaker.  
“What? They say that all the time in those old shows I watch with Tiny.”  
“Oh, really? Then I know someone who’s going to get his TV privileges revoked.” Cortex grumbled, oblivious to Nina’s scheming smirk.  
“Yeah, you’ll tell him the good news tomorrow. Good night, Uncle Neo.”  
“Good night, my sweet little devil.” Cortex answered as he gave one last, warm hug to his niece.

Cortex left the room with a yawn, hoping Nina wouldn’t struggle too much to fall asleep after such a conversation.  
When he quietly slipped inside her room a few hours later to check if she was getting some well-deserved rest, Nina was sleeping soundly, a tiny smile on her peaceful face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope it was sweet ^w^  
> Nina and Cortex aren't really my favorite characters, so it was interesting to do something for them. I think it's super wholesome that Cortex is an evil scientist and all and he just loves his niece. Also his backstory is really sad if you think about it... but he does his best to give Nina a better childhood than he had!  
> See you tomorrow!


	3. December 3 - Avocado-flavored Armistice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> Today's chapter is a bit longer than the previous 2. I just got a bit carried away ^^'  
> Took inspiration from Tiny and Ami's ending credits lines in the original and the new CTR!  
> Please enjoy!

“Hey, Crunch!”

When he heard his name, the stocky bandicoot put his phone in his pocket and waved merrily towards the familiar voice who had greeted him. Jogging towards him with a large gym bag slung over her shoulder, Ami Bandicoot returned his gesture, and the two mutants exchanged a smile.

“Yo.” Crunch answered as he gave his friend a fist bump. “It’s been a while!”  
“Sure has! I kinda missed you, to be honest. Texting and phone calls are great when we’re on opposite sides of the world, but it doesn’t beat the real thing.”  
“Yep.” the bandicoot nodded in agreement.

Not counting his brother and sister, Ami was the mutant Crunch got the most along with. They shared similar interests, had the same rough sense of humor and protective tendencies towards those they loved – which was why they regularly kept in touch.

“So, how was that Grand Prix?” Crunch inquired once they started to walk towards their destination.  
“You didn’t watch it?!” the green-haired bandicoot gasped as one of her hands reached for her chest dramatically.  
“Of course I watched it, idiot. I just wanted to hear it from you.” The other rolled his eyes and gave her a strong clap on the back. “We all watched, y'know. Coco even insisted on taping it and making a montage of your best- wait, I’m not supposed to tell you that yet.” Crunch realized mid-sentence, to his horror and to Ami’s amusement. “Uh, please ignore what I just said.”  
“Oh, you said something? Didn’t hear anything.”

The very picture of innocence, Ami looked away with a smirk as she pulled her hair back in a short ponytail. Crunch sighed, but he knew his friend wouldn’t betray him. She was far better at keeping secrets than he was.

“Anyways, the Grand Prix was amaaaazing.” Ami finally replied, and Crunch was happy to see stars light up in her eyes when she mentioned the event she had trained so hard for. “Even if I only won third place, it might have been the best competition I’ve ever attended! Everyone was so passionate about racing, and so willing to talk with others. Not like that Viscount Royal Tour last year, with all those stuck-up elitists.”  
“Sounds nice! Man, I wish I could have been there. Still have to work on my drifting technique for now, though…”  
“Eh, you’ll get there, big guy. There’s always a next time.”

With those encouraging words, the pair reached their destination – a large building, two stories tall, with immense bay windows. A huge neon sign rested atop the front door; although it was daytime, its light was so bright the bandicoots swore they could see the words “CLARK FITNESS” glow.

“Wew.” Crunch whistled, impressed. “Fancy place.”  
“I’d rather say “tacky”, but sure.”

Ami couldn’t help but be amused by her friend’s tendency to be impressed by almost everything in the city. Before Crunch had moved in with Crash and Coco, around a year before, he had only known the sterile coldness of Cortex’ compounds; and since then, he hadn’t left N. Sanity island much, leaving him to be rather inexperienced and unfamiliar with more urban environments.

“It’s amazing that they’re willing to hire us.” Crunch smiled, still taking in the sight of the modern, sleek building. “I mean, when Aku Aku told me to put a picture of me on my resume, I didn’t expect anyone to even give me an interview.”  
“Yeah, same.” Ami nodded in agreement. “I really wanted to be a racer, but I was too… I guess too scared to take part in official events, until the day Megumi casually sent me a selfie of her attending a class in a regular college. It’s funny, it’s all that it took to give me the courage I needed, and I’m sure she had no idea her sending me a selfie would basically change my life.”  
“Yeah, I’m not really close to her, but that’s the vibe I get from her. That girl is always radiating positivity.”  
“That’s our dear little Gumimi for you.” Ami smiled tenderly. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go in!”

The bandicoot walked towards the gym’s doors, her steps decisive and quick. Feeling just as giddy as when the owner had hired him right after the interview, Crunch happily followed her, and they went past the automatic doors together.

“Woah.” it was Ami’s turn to whistle in surprise.

Even though she’d been around the world thanks to her racing career and had visited a lot of fitness centers to keep herself in shape, Ami had never seen such a well-equipped, well-lit, agreeable gym. The large bay windows allowed the sunlight in, giving the huge room a peaceful lighting. From just a quick glance, the bandicoot could spot high-end equipment, as well as strategically placed water fountains and towel bins.

Since it was early in the morning, there were only a few patrons, scattered between the different areas of the gym, which were efficiently distinguished thanks to a light change of color on the spotless ground. Here and there, personal trainers, all wearing the same red shirt emblazoned with the center’s logo, were offering advice to their clients or demonstrating particular exercises.

“Wow, the pictures looked nice on the website, but not _that_ nice.” Crunch commented after a while, the two bandicoots still marveling at their new workplace.  
“I’m glad you think so, Mr Bandicoot!” a voice boomed on their left. “Welcome to Clark Fitness!”

The two mutants turned in reflex and found themselves face to face with a tall man, whose large shoulders and sculpted calves were molded by what seemed to be a tailor-made gym outfit. His radiant smile was the same plastered on advertisements for “Clark Fitness”, and his perfectly coiffed hair seemed to be able to withstand anything thrown his way without the slightest damage to his blonde hairdo.

Clark Williams was a walking cliché of a fitness instructor, but his suspiciously calculated appearance wasn’t concealing anything nasty. Still grinning, the man walked towards the two people who has successfully passed his interviews, and he vigorously shook their hands.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet the two of you in person.” the blonde winked at them. “I knew I wouldn’t regret my decision, but it’s still a relief to see you don’t seem any different from the people on the other side of my computer screen!”  
“You ever had that kind of bad experience?” Ami inquired.  
“Yeah, once. Hopefully, that doesn’t happen again.”  
“I hope we won’t disappoint you, Mr Williams.” Crunch suddenly felt nervous in front of his new employer. He didn’t have much experience with the outside world compared to Ami, and he _really_ hoped he wouldn’t mess up.  
“Oh, I’m not worried about that!” Clark laughed, dismissing Crunch’s concerns with a wave of his hand. “And please, call me Clark. Here, I’ll give you two a tour of the facilities.”

He gestured for the two bandicoots to follow them, which they did, excited and a bit nervous about their new job. Clark’s pace was as fast as his explanations, and Crunch had a bit of trouble following all of it. He knew his way around a gym, and was more than qualified to be a fitness instructor thanks to all the training, both mental and physical, that Cortex had put him through, but he was anxious it would be too much for him.  
Ami, on the other hand, nodded at almost everything Clark said and seemed pretty relaxed about their tour, which only fueled her friend’s barely concealed panic.

“Hey, Crunch.” Clark suddenly stopped, his voice dropping to a lower, more soothing tone. “It’s fine if you don’t get it all memorized in the first day. The place’s huge, and if I remember your resume right, it’s your first time working as a licensed trainer, right?”  
“Yeah…” the bandicoot muttered as he rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed.

He didn’t have a license – unless you counted Coco’s extremely well forged license as a real one – _yet_ , but Clark didn’t need to know that.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get used to it!” Ami cheered him with a light punch on the shoulder. “It’s normal to be anxious for your first day.”  
“Besides, everyone here will be happy to help you if you have any issue with the schedule, a machine or anything else.” Clark assured him. “Don’t hesitate to talk to the team. You’re part of it now! Which, by the way, brings us to the end of the tour. Step right in.”

Clark used the magnetic pass around his neck to open the door labelled “Employees Only” they had reached.

“This is our recreation room.” Clark announced as the pair followed him. “We have a fridge if you wanna leave your lunch there. There’s also a coffee machine. We all pitch in for the capsules every month, you just have to bring your mug. It’s usually empty at this time though, because- oh hey, spoke too soon! Didn’t see you there, Big T.”

Crunch and Ami watched as someone closed the cupboard on their right, which had hidden them until then. And as they took in the large figure in front of them, their eyes went wide open.  
Standing in front of them, wearing a red shirt, a chronometer dangling from his neck and a pack of almonds in his paws was Tiny Tiger.

The three of them screamed “YOU!” at the same time, making Clark recoil in surprise.

“Woah, you guys know each other?!” the gym owner wondered, amused. “I mean, uh, maybe I could have guessed, but-”  
“What are you doing here?” Crunch hissed as he stepped towards the thylacine.

Tiny, not in the least bit intimidated, marched towards the bandicoot.

“Tiny have job now! What are _bandicoots_ doing at Tiny’s job?” he growled, his claws squeezing the pack of almonds.  
“Turns out we also work here now.” Ami answered, arms crossed against her chest. She didn’t share the same animosity than Crunch towards Tiny, which allowed her to remain calm once her initial surprise passed.  
“Hey, hey, let’s all calm down, okay?” Clark put himself between the two mutants. “Tiny’s one of my best employees, and you guys look like promising recruits, so I’d really like for you to go along.”  
“No.” Crunch and Tiny muttered at the same time.

Ami rolled her eyes.

“Come on…” she moaned as she walked towards the angry pair. “Crunch, if Tiny was here to break stuff or something, he wouldn’t have waited us to do so, don’t you think?”  
“But what if it’s one of Cortex’ plans?”  
“Not Cortex’ plan.” Tiny shook his head before explaining. “Cortex don't have money. So Cortex told Tiny and the others to get a job. Tiny got job and got money. Cortex wanted to take all money, but Tiny wanted money to buy things and have house. So Cortex leave Tiny half and Tiny live alone.”  
“That… does sound like something Cortex would do.” Crunch conceded. “But you’re one of his most loyal minions, right? So what if he asks you to-” the bandicoot took a glance at their very confused employer “uh, do… bad things here.”  
“Tiny say no!” the thylacine roared, outraged. “Tiny like people here. Clients. Other teachers. And Clark is good boss.”  
“Aww, thanks Big T.” the blonde smiled amidst his almost panicked expression.  
“You see?” Ami tried. “He’s here to do the same thing than you. Be independent, find his own path.”  
“I guess so…” Crunch sighed.

Tiny tilted his head to the side, puzzled.

“Crunch want independent too?” he asked with genuine curiosity.  
“Yeah… I mean, I love my siblings and living with them was fun, but I wanna try new things, y’know? Living in the city, on my own, all that. Even if just for a bit.”  
“Tiny understand.” the tiger nodded. “Tiny hate bandicoot, but Tiny respect bandicoot.”  
“… thanks, I guess.”

When the two mutants stepped away from each other, the palpable tension in the room vanished, and both Ami and Clark smiled in relief.

“Well, glad that’s taken care of.” their employer shook his head. “I just hope they don’t start fighting again.”  
“I’ll make sure they won’t.” Ami assured Clark, who trembled when he felt the sheer and tranquil power exuding from her. “Don’t worry about it.”  
“Uh… sure.” he nodded quickly; suddenly, he was struck by an idea, and happily asked Tiny: “Hey, Big T! To bury the hatchet once and for all, why don’t you give them some of your special juice?”  
“His _what_ now?”

Ignoring Ami’s barely stifled giggle and Crunch’s wide eyes, Clark simply pointed to the large refrigerator behind them.

“There’s this thing he’s super good at making, he’s invented the recipe and all! Trust me, it’s suuuper tasty.”  
“Avocado juice.” Tiny explained with what was probably his equivalent of a bashful expression. “Good taste. Good vitamins.”  
“Well… sure…” Ami tentatively agreed, hoping she wouldn’t get sent to the ER on her first day.

After a booming and delighted clap of his paws, Tiny ran towards the fridge, almost ripping the door open in excitement. Crunch felt his insides loudly protest at the idea of swallowing anything prepared by his former ally, but Ami strongly stepped on his foot, forcing him to give Tiny a pained and scared smile when the thylacine headed back towards them with two tall glasses.

“Must keep fresh.” He informed them as he distributed the glasses, all of them sealed with a lid. “If not fresh, yuck.”  
“And yuck even if- _ouch_!” Crunch loudly complained after Ami swiftly elbowed him in the ribs.  
“Thanks, Tiny. Let’s give it a taste, then!”

Crunch couldn’t help but feel slightly satisfied when his friend brought the glass to her lips and barely managed to hide her distrust bordering on disgust.  
Tiny watched in anticipation as Ami gulped some of the thick, green liquid down.

“Ami like?” he inquired.

The bandicoot removed her snout from the glass, letting the liquid linger a bit in her mouth before entirely swallowing it. Her face immediately lit up, and she complimented the mutant:

“Wow, Tiny, this is amazing! You _really_ made it yourself?!”  
“Hehe! Tiny is happy Ami like. Tiny make everything!”  
“Well you knocked it out of the park! Come on, Crunch, try it, it’s really _really_ good.”

The bandicoot’s eyes narrowed, wondering if this wasn’t just a ploy from Ami to butter Tiny up a bit. But when Ami lifted her drink again and emptied it in a few seconds, foregoing her manners as she loudly drank it down, Crunch began to change his mind. Ami was quite the picky eater, and her enthusiasm about Tiny’s cuisine looked far too genuine to be fake.

“Well… here goes nothing.” he mumbled, bringing his own glass to his snout.

Still a bit wary, the youngest Bandicoot sibling took a small sip from the avocado juice, letting it slosh a bit in his mouth before the taste filled his tongue and he found himself taking a bigger sip.

“Yeah, I gotta admit, this is some really good stuff!” the bandicoot agreed after taking a third, hearty swig of the concoction. “Nice job there.”  
“Tiny is flattered.” the thylacine roared as he gave a huge slap on Crunch’s back. “If Crunch and Ami like, more juice in fridge!”  
“Thanks… Big T.” Ami grinned as she watched Tiny give a smile full of very sharp teeth back.

As Crunch finished his drink under the tiger’s proud gaze, Ami found herself thinking that, maybe, just maybe, this whole cohabitation thing might not be so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the idea of Ami and Crunch being very good friends!! X3 and also I love the trope of enemies being forced to work together. I think it works well with TIny and Crunch.   
> I see Ami as more neutral, both because she was the Trophy Girl for Tiny and Dingodile, but also because I see the Nitro Squad (sans Tawna) being more removed from the Bandicoot VS Cortex conflict.   
> I hope you liked it!


	4. December 4 - Building myself up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Here's today's entry, with a heavy focus on Liz :)  
> Enjoy!

“Th-this can’t go on an-an-anymore.”

As much as he hated the anger Brio barely concealed behind his desperate tone, Cortex couldn’t help but agree. The lab where they kept various animals to experiment on had been turned upside down: teared-up research notes were sprawled across the floor, broken vials and test tubes were leaking their questionable contents everywhere, and several of the animals had broken free of their cages.

“We have to put an end to this.” Cortex grumbled as he picked up one of the escapees, a small bandicoot with a tuft of darker hair on his head. “These wretched creatures are beginning to be far more troublesome than necessary!”  
“You’re entire-entirely right.” Brio nodded, locking a screeching kangaroo back in its cage. “But it’s not like we c-c-can hire a pet sitter…”  
“Of course not! We’re not- wait, a pet sitter, you say? Hmm…”

Leaving the other scientist to struggle herding all of the animals back to their cages, Cortex stroked his beard, lost in his thoughts. The idea of a pet sitter, as ridiculous as it may sound, might in fact be worth looking into.  
They had lab assistants to help them run the place and their experiments, but none of them was qualified enough to take care of the future mutants. The assistants had been created by the two scientists from scratch, and as such were pretty basic homonculi, and incapable of doing complex tasks. They often found themselves overwhelmed whenever they needed to adjust to the unexpected, and Cortex was almost certain than asking them to take care of the castle’s menagerie would fry what little brains they had.

And as Brio, sweeping the floors, shot Cortex's back dirty glances, an idea erupted in the evil genius’ mind.

* * *

“Aaaaand, there! All done!”

The mutated bandicoot blinked as Cortex put a mirror in front of her face. She gasped when she saw her reflection on the immaculate surface: although she had gone through the Evolvo Ray a week before, and had since seen herself multiple times in her tiny bathroom’s mirror, it was still a surreal sight, one too foreign from the reflection she used to cast in the clear waters of the island she and her fellow bandicoots used to live.

“So, what do you think?” the scientist asked gleefully as she fully took in the creature looking back at her, with her long dark hair tied up in a neat bun, her mascara-coated lashes, the eyeliner wings on top of her amethyst eyes. “I’d say I’ve done an amazing job, considering applying make-up to fur is far harder than I imagined.”  
“It’s…” her voice trailed off, and she reached for the elegant clip holding her hair back, only for her hand to be swatted by her creator. “… pretty, I guess.”  
“Only pretty? Ungrateful punk.” Cortex muttered, offended. “It goes perfectly with the rest of your outfit! Go on, take a good look at yourself. You’ll see I’m right.”

The scientist pointed to a tall mirror on the other side of the room, and she obliged, getting up from her chair. Her long skirt swirled with each step, which she found as pretty as it was annoying; not to mention she didn’t particularly enjoy the _click-clack_ of her heels.  
When she reached the mirror, her shock was even bigger than when Cortex had shown her her new make-up. The clothing he gave her was… a choice. One she was almost certain _she_ wouldn’t have made. Ever.

“I look like… uh, like…” she tried, but nothing came. She was only a week old – at least, in this form – and didn’t have enough references to make an appropriate comparison.   
“Like Mary Poppins?” Cortex offered, clearly delighted. “Of course you do! That’s the whole point! You’re going to be the perfect pet sitter for my future minions!”  
“Who’s Mary Poppins?” the bandicoot inquired as she toyed with the hem of her jacket, which she found far too stiff.  
“What, have you never seen- oh, of course you haven’t.” the scientist realized mid-sentence. “Well, no matter. We probably have that movie on a tape somewhere, I’ll ask Brio to find it.”  
“Sure…” the bandicoot grunted, guessing she wasn’t necessarily going to enjoy the movie. “Are you going to call me Mary, then?”

She had just asked it rhetorically, but she sincerely hoped Cortex wouldn’t. The bandicoot didn’t have a name yet, and she didn’t really want hers to be someone else’s. She wanted something that belonged to her, that gave her a proper identity, especially since her creator was obviously trying to turn her into a clone of someone else.  
Cortex, taken aback, gave the thought a bit of consideration. She kept staring at herself in the mirror, and he kept staring at her:

“Mary won’t do, but I really want to go for something that sounds British…” he pondered out loud. “Hmm… oh, I know! How about Elizabeth?”

The bandicoot barely had time to turn towards Cortex before he continued:

“Yes, perfect! Elizabeth, you shall be the perfect nanny for my minions! Come now, let me introduce you to them.”

Cortex headed towards the door, but before she followed him, she took a last look at herself – at the stranger in the mirror she _knew_ was herself.  
Well then. Elizabeth Bandicoot would have to do.

* * *

“EL-ELIZABETH!”  
“What?”

The bandicoot’s tone was nonplussed, a sharp contrast with Brio’s outraged expression and disapproving scream. Muttering to himself about how Cortex was _definitely_ going to somehow find a way to blame the whole situation on him, he indignantly marched towards Elizabeth.  
The mutant was sitting on one of the lab’s chairs and cradling a small bandicoot in her arms, the way one would hold a baby. On the table right next to her, a baby dingo was snoozing loudly on a mangled cover, with a chewed-up toy right next to his drooling maw.

“WHAT’S T-T-THE MEAN-”  
“Shhh, Dr Brio.” the nanny reprimanded, putting a finger to her lips for emphasis. “They’re sleeping! And trust me, you do _not_ want to wake them up. Especially not Blondie.”  
“B-B-Blondie?!”  
“This little one.” Elizabeth answered with a smile and a gentle pet between the bandicoot’s ears. “I named her Blondie because she has this little tuft of blonde hair on top of her head, see?”  
“And wh-what is B-b-blon- uh, the bandicoot, d-doing in your arms?”  
“Why, she needs it to fall asleep.” Elizabeth gave the scientist a surprised look, as if she was stating the obvious. “Poor little thing. She’s the youngest bandicoot here, and on top of that, you took her brother the other day. Since then, she’s been crying so much…”

Brio sighed, but he couldn’t help the uneasy, guilty feeling slipping in his heart when the tiny bandicoot slowly opened its eyes and started to whine. Thankfully, Elizabeth’s gentle humming calmed it down.

“J-j-just… don’t let Dr Cortex s-see you g-g-get too attached to the a-a-animals.”  
“Wasn’t I specifically created to take care of them?” the bandicoot countered calmly, but with a fierce look in her eyes.  
“W-W-well…” the chemist started to stutter, before something caught his eye and almost made him choke on his saliva. “WHAT HAVE Y-Y-YOU DONE TO YOUR EAR?!”

He pointed a shaky finger at the offending ear as Elizabeth shot him a death glare and something began howling behind him.

“Oh, wonderful! You’ve woken Danny up!” she complained as she got up, Blondie having fallen asleep in her arms again. “And all of that just for ear piercings!”  
“J-just ear piercings?! JUST EAR P-P-PIERCINGS?! W-where di-did you even g-get them?!”

Elizabeth gave Blondie’s head a kiss before tucking her in her cage, then made her way to the dingo she’d apparently dubbed Danny and handed him his chewtoy. Just when Brio was about to chastise her for ignoring him, she simply answered with a deceivingly innocent smile:

“I spend all my days in this laboratory, and sometimes it gets boring. Well, what do you know, if you know where to look and you don’t have much to do, there are a lot of objects here you can use to handcraft a piercing gun and even some ear piercings.”

* * *

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO YOUR HAIR?!”

Everyone in the mess hall immediately stopped speaking to their neighbor or chewing on their food. Cortex’s voice was dripping with raw anger, its enraged echo enough to fill the lab assistants and even the mutants with dread.

“ELIZABETH BANDICOOT! ANSWER ME!” the scientist yelled as he stomped towards the table his target was sitting at, its other two occupants giving the imperturbable Elizabeth worried glances.  
“What, I think it’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?” the mutant asked after elegantly wiping her mouth with the corner of her napkin. “I cut it.”  
“I can see that very clearly!” the scientist seethed as he wacked the bandicoot’s napkin away from her hand. “Do you mind explaining yourself?”  
“I don’t mind at all. I simply thought long hair didn’t suit me, and on top of that, it was so bothersome to care for! So I simply grabbed some scissors, and voilà.”  
“I think she did a pretty nice job.” added another bandicoot, clad in a white coat and who had very short blue hair. “The way it frames her face is super cute!”

Cortex slowly spun his head towards the mutant who’d just spoken, his eyes narrowing as he shouted:

“I DIDN’T ASK FOR YOUR IMPUT, MEGUMI! I DON’T ASK FOR IT IN MY LABORATORY, AND I CERTAINLY NOT ASK FOR IT OUTSIDE EITHER!”  
“Sorry, doctor…” Megumi winced.  
“You.” Cortex turned towards Elizabeth again. “In the main lab. Right _now_.”

Elizabeth was about to retort, but the third bandicoot sitting at the table put her hand on her thigh, squeezing just enough to convey her message. The pet sitter gave her blonde friend a hesitating glance, before letting out a sigh and standing up.  
Without adding another word, Cortex spun on his heels and began marching towards the mess hall’s exit, followed by a clearly upset Elizabeth.

“Hey, Isa… if he’s just reacting like that for her haircut…” Megumi whispered to the other bandicoot once the double doors loudly shut behind the pair. “… what do you think will happen when he finds out she’s teared all of her fancy dresses apart?”

* * *

This had to be a _joke_.

For what must have been the fiftieth time since he’d found the paper neatly folded inside an envelope carefully resting on the middle of his desk, Cortex reread the letter, as if he expected its contents to somehow have changed.  
Of course, the letter’s contents, all written in neat cursive, hadn’t transformed at all. The large words on top of the paper – “RESIGNATION LETTER” – and the signature at the bottom of the page – “Liz Bandicoot” – in particular were enough to make his blood boil.

Fuming, he finally decided to pay the bandicoot a little visit regarding her missive. It was around 1 pm, which meant she would probably be hanging out with other mutants in the recreation room.

Cortex made his way to her assumed location, which was several flights of stairs away from his office. He would usually take the elevator to save some time and effort, but today he needed some time to compose himself before giving Elizabeth a piece of his mind.

No one walked out on Neo Cortex. _No one_. Resignation letters, notices of leave- none of that was allowed to cross his minions’ minds. Amicable negotiation was out of the question as well. The only way out of Cortex Castle was what that wretched bandicoot, his girlfriend and his sister had done: betrayal. And Cortex didn’t particularly feel like dealing with that - not today, not tomorrow, not ever again.

He pushed the recreation room’s doors wide open with a loud noise that startled everyone inside. As he had expected, several mutants were sitting on the couches or on the ground, amongst which Elizabeth, whose look turn from surprise to fierce resolve once their eyes locked.

As Cortex walked inside the room, silence fell on the assembly. No one dared to move an inch, save for Elizabeth, who stood up defiantly and with as much poise as she could. Around her, several pairs of eyes quickly went back and forth from her proud figure to Cortex’s looming and advancing presence.

“I take it you’ve found my resignation letter.” Elizabeth calmly assumed, resting her hands on her hips, the fabric of the purple training suit she’d grown fond of rustling under her manicured fingers.  
“I have.” Cortex confirmed once he stopped in front of her. “In fact, I brought it here, just so you could confirm you were serious and actually thinking about leaving.”

In front of the quiet assembly, the evil genius produced said letter from one of his coat's pockets, and he held it up for everyone to see.

“I am _very_ serious.” Elizabeth assured with a firm nod. “As much as I love taking care of the animals you like to experiment on, I think my talents might be needed elsewhere. There’s only a few animals left here, and since your recent endeavors have brought far more destruction than necessary to the surrounding islands, I thought I could go out there and take care of the creatures you’ve _involuntary_ wounded or endangered.”  
“I see.” the scientist nodded. “Well then, here’s my answer.”

Without a word, he teared up the bandicoot’s letter until all that remained was a pile of tiny scraps on the floor. He could hear gasps from all around him, he could see a fire burning in Elizabeth’s eyes, and he enjoyed every second of it.

“The next time anyone else gets the _brilliant_ idea that someone or something needs them outside, their letter won’t be the only thing torn apart.”  
“Hey!” the youngest of Cortex’s remaining bandicoots sprang from her seat. “That’s completely unfair! Liz could have just ran away, but she made the effort to do everything properly, and-”  
“Silence, Amelia.” Cortex hissed at the green-haired bandicoot, only to be booed by the other bandicoots – and even, to his great surprise, by Dingodile and Komodo Moe.  
“Ami’s right!” Megumi stood up as well, her shoulder-length hair flooping around her face when she put her fists on her hips and shot her creator a dark glance. “You have no right to be so rude!”  
“Didn’t you create her to take care of wild animals?” the scientist groaned when Isabella joined in. “Shouldn’t you be proud that you’ve done so well that Liz wants to go even bigger than planned?”  
“All of you, stop immediately!” Cortex screamed, not being used to being disrespected and hating every second of it. “I will not tolerate _any_ insubordination!”  
“Tolerate THAT!”

Ami was about to punch her creator right in the face, but she was stopped at the last second when Pinstripe slid between her and Cortex.

“Now, now, let’s all calm down.” the gangster warned as Cortex sighed in relief and smirked deviously. “No need to get too handsy, right boss?”  
“Of course not. Let’s all be reasonable.” the evil genius grinned, thankful for his one of his most loyal minions' intervention. “I don’t want this… fuss to turn into something bigger. I was just making sure everyone knew what was expected of them.”  
“See, ladies? No need to throw punches. The boss’ dignified, unlike you.” he gestured at Ami with his chin. “I know he’ll let Miss Liz go if we just talk it out a little more. Right, boss?”  
“Ri- _what_?!”

Taken aback, Cortex had no idea what was most infuriating- Liz’ sudden smirk, Pinstripe’s oblivious look, or Megumi’s excited squeals.

“Have you listened to _anything_ I’ve said?”  
“Of course, why?”  
“Then what made you think I was going to let Li- _Elizabeth_ go?!” a very frustrated Cortex pinched the bridge of his nose.  
“Well, isn’t it kind of a promotion?” the potoroo shrugged. “Miss Isabella was right, Miss Liz’s pretty amazing at what she does. Right, boys?”  
“Yup.” Dingodile agreed with a nod. “My memories of before the Evolvo Ray are sorta fuzzy, but I can clearly remember Liz giving me lots of toys to destroy and lots of treats.”  
“She’s gonna do amazing out there, boss!” Komodo Moe added, oblivious to his brother’s elbow repeatedly ramming into his ribs. “Just give her her chance!”  
“Aww, thank you guys.” the black-haired bandicoot felt herself blush.

Cortex’s eyes switched between each of the mutants, in complete disbelief at what he was hearing. Had none of them understood any of what he’d said earlier?! He was about to ask so, when Pinstripe spoke again, allowing Cortex to notice the potoroo was now handling the pocket gun that never left his jacket’s inside pocket.

“Miss Liz’s been very good to us all.” he explained as the muzzle of his gun rapidly pointed to all the mutants. “Including me. I think it’s fair she gets to negotiate the terms of her contract… right?”

For a fraction of a second, as the potoroo was moving his gun around, Pinstripe’s weapon was pointed at him.  
And that was when a very horrified Cortex realized something. He’d programmed the former CEO to be a stereotypical gangster who’d be absolutely loyal to his boss- him. And he’d done a terrific job at it. A job so excellent, in fact, that Pinstripe displayed probably every trait associated with stereotypical mafiosi.  
Including, maybe, just maybe, the whole “bad men still love their mama” thing. And, in a way, wasn’t Liz kind of…

He didn’t even want to think about it. After a long sigh and an expectant look on all of his mutants’ faces, Cortex grudgingly muttered:

“Well… now that I think about it, maybe Eli- Liz’s request isn’t completely… out of the question.”

Cortex did his best to ignore the numerous roars and screams of joy that followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there is my own idea for Liz's origin story! It was heavily inspired by the fact that in the original CTR game, she's cheering for Polar, Pura and Penta. And with Cortex being fond of creating stereotypes, I thought it would be fun to have him go "I need a sort of baby sitter -> Mary Poppins -> bandicoot with a British accent and 1910s clothing". 
> 
> I loved writing about Liz's progressive emancipation!! <3  
> My headcanon for the order the bandicoots were mutated is: Liz - Megumi - Isabella - Tawna - Crash - Ami - Coco :)
> 
> See you tomorrow!


	5. December 5 - Opera of the Wasteland

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, and welcome to today's chapter!
> 
> It's... a long one, and it takes places during Crash 4, at the Hazardous Wastes. It's a bit of a canon divergence, since it features one Nitro Squad member - well, that dimension's version of a Nitro Squad member!  
> The title is taken from... well, "Opera of the wasteland", one of my favorite Roselia songs. The lyrics don't really have any relevance here, but the title sort of does!
> 
> Hope you enjoy! :3c

“Ugh, is it me or is it unbearably hot here?” Coco whined as she fanned herself with her tablet.  
“It’s not just you.” Lani-Loli panted. “I’m a mask, and even _I_ have trouble standing it!”  
“We should find some place to rest.” Aku Aku advised. “At this rate, you two will be dehydrated before we even reach N. Gin.”

The mask glanced at the two bandicoots, making sure they weren’t showing any signs of heat stroke. It was a bit hard to tell because of their thick fur, but thankfully, while Crash and Coco were sweating buckets and often drinking from makeshift gourds, their state wasn’t too grave.  
Crash and Coco nodded in agreement, both of them looking exhausted. They had been walking for a few hours now, and between having to fight the locals and having to go through uneven and unsafe routes, the siblings were stating to reach their limits.

“Lani-Loli, maybe you should go ahead and see if there’s a safe place with a lot of shadow to hide for a while. I'll wait with Crash and Coco here so they can rest for a few minutes.” Aku Aku asked, earning a strangled yelp from the other mask.  
“What, me?! All alone?!”

Crash smiled and gestured that he wouldn’t mind escorting Lani-Loli, but Coco immediately shook her head.

“Nope, big bro, you’re not leaving my side. We both know how you get when it’s really really hot. You’re going to get mad and try to fight N. Gin all by yourself.”

The older marsupial grunted in protest, but Coco didn’t back down. She put herself in front of her brother, trying to stop him from following Lani-Loli, but Crash ignored her and tried to get around her. Aku Aku sighed and try to reason with the two of them; as such, when a faint rumbling sound started to surround them, Lani-Loli was the only one to notice.

“Uh… guys?” he tried, quickly floating to the other mask’s side. “Are you hearing that?”  
“We’re resting here for a while, Crash!”  
“Coco, let go of your brother!”  
“Hey, is it me or is it getting louder?”  
“Waaaah, bbbr!”  
“Hey, don’t talk to me like that!”  
“THE GROUND IS STARTING TO MOVE!”

Lani-Loli’s panicked scream finally broke through Crash and Coco’s argument; unfortunately, it was too late. Before anyone could react, the rocky ground beneath them brutally disappeared, and the two bandicoots fell down with terrified screams.

“CRASH! COCO!” Aku Aku called as he immediately followed them, dreading how far they would fall.

A panicked and continuous litany of words leaving him, Lani-Loli pursued his companions in the dark abyss below.

Thankfully, when the two masks reached their furry friends, they found that large and thick cushions had broken their fall, leaving them unarmed, although dizzy and still recovering from their fright.

“Are you alright?” Aku Aku and Lani-Loli inquired, floating around the two bandicoots to check for injuries.  
“I think so…” Coco moaned, rubbing the back of her neck. Next to her, Crash was massaging his temples; he was more used to falls than his sister, but that kind of drop was still painfully unpleasant.  
“NO ONE MOVE!”

Four surprised faces turned towards the high-pitched voice which had screamed in their direction, and they found themselves looking at a little girl who couldn’t have been older than ten. In itself, the encounter wouldn’t have been particularly scary, but the child was holding a crossbow and pointing it at them.

“Um… hi?” Coco tried as she raised her hands. She felt hot wind swirl around her as Lani-Loli shrieked and hid behind the two bandicoots. Crash imitated her, but he chose to wave his hands amicably instead of keeping them still.  
“Who are you?” the little girl grunted, her grip on the weapon still tense.  
“Where do you come from?” another, slightly deeper voice inquired just as aggressively.  
“And what do you want?”

Before our four heroes could answer any of those questions, several people came out from behind rocks, empty barrels and piles of metal scraps. The underground cavern’s lack of light had helped to hide them from view; furthermore, none of them seemed older than fifteen or so, and they all had small, lithe frames, making it even easier to hide.

“What is going on?” Lani-Loli muttered in anguish as the newcomers slowly but surely walked towards them, their circle growing smaller and smaller. “Who are these people?”  
“That’s a question _you_ should be answering.”

Unlike the other voices they’d heard so far, those words had been spoken with a feminine yet deeper, smoother and definitely more composed tone. There was something strangely familiar about that voice, but neither Crash nor Coco or Aku Aku could put their finger on it. The voice was followed by the slow sound of clacking heels, as if someone was taking their sweet time to join the curious scene.

“Lady Donna!” the children all around them echoed, suddenly sounding far more carefree.  
“I see you’ve managed to… apprehend the foreigners. Wonderful work, all of you.”  
“Thank you!”

A few laughs resounded in the cavern, and Crash saw a few high fives behind exchanged, making him grin in shared happiness. However, his attention shifted when the mysterious “Lady Donna” finally came close enough that the four captives could distinguish her tall silhouette.

They squinted their eyes to try and distinguish the woman’s features; unlike the children who had various weapons pointed at them, she kept walking towards them, until she reached the pile of cushions that had softened their fall. The stranger stopped right where a slight sun ray reached the cavern’s dusty ground, allowing the bandicoots and the masks to see what “Lady Donna” looked like.

What caught their eyes first was the stranger’s face: its left half was covered in metal, with only a cybernetic eye breaking the glinting plate’s monotony. The eye was entirely black, save for a single red light in the middle. It was the complete opposite of her other eye, where a soft and serene azure iris rested beneath a half-closed eyelid. Interestingly enough, the organic half of her face was covered in peach-colored fur, just like the two ears protruding on the top of her head.

Her outfit was an intricate abomination of metal plates, fabric scraps, protruding thorns and barely concealed weapons. Her cape, with its large shoulder pieces and elegant cut, was made out of multiple pieces of metal that had been carefully welded together, creating a terrifyingly elegant piece of armor. Wherever you looked on her person, the sharpness of metal components was softened by the soft colors of light fabric scraps, and the delicacy of the fabric associations was hardened by threatening spikes.

As her sapphire gaze kept scrutinizing her captives, Lady Donna’s posture remained elegant and firm. As if it was raining, she carried a strange umbrella, which had its framework completely exposed and covered in spikes, with a few chutes of fabric falling from the framework’s lower ring.

The five of them kept staring at each other, until Crash’s eyes widened, and he gripped Coco’s shoulder, blabbering excited nonsense under everyone’s curious and questioning eyes.

“No way!” Coco whispered, her own eyes blinking in disbelief. “But… yeah, I think you’re right!”  
“Am I interrupting something?” the curious stranger asked, clearly bothered by the siblings’ attitude. “State your names at once!”

Aku Aku was about to answer and do his best to lower the temperature, but Coco was quicker than him.

“I’m Coco!” she smiled, before pointing her sibling. “This is my big brother Crash, and the two masks behind us are Aku Aku and Lani-Loli!”

A collective gasp followed her statement, and around them, all the children exchanged looks of disbelief and amazement. Even the composed Lady Donna seemed surprised, and she quickly broke the gap between them, going up the small mountain of cushions to take a closer look at the peculiar group.

“Crash and Coco Bandicoot? Is that… is that really you?”  
“… yeah?” the blonde answered as her brother enthusiastically nodded.  
“Could it be?” she wondered, her organic eye shimmering with unshed tears. “Could it be that at long last, our prayers have been answered?”  
“Huh?”

The bandicoots exchanged puzzled looks, before their breaths were taken away when the tall stranger wrapped her arms around them in a tight hug.

“Oh, it’s you, it’s finally _you_! We’re saved!”

* * *

After a few hours spent in a lot of confusion, and during which they’d been granted a shower, a change of clothes and a cold meal, the Bandicoot siblings were led to Lady Donna’s quarters by a young boy. Aku Aku and Lani-Loli had spoken with the children’s leader while Crash and Coco were enjoying their captors’ hospitality, and the masks had then left to do some recon work.

“Come on in!” Lady Donna’s voice didn’t hide her excitement in the slightest when the bandicoots’ guide knocked on her door.  
“Go in!” he instructed. “I have work to do!”

He ran away, humming a little tune to himself as Crash waved him goodbye.

When Crash and Coco stepped inside the room, they were surprised to find themselves in a huge, empty auditorium that had seen better days. Lady Donna was on the stage, fiddling with her umbrella as she waited for them.

“I think it’s time I give you a few explanations.” she started once her guests joined her on the creaky scene. “Pardon me for my earlier rudeness. We’re just… well, we tend to be a bit distrustful of foreigners. It’s a matter of survival.”  
“I understand.” Coco nodded. “Must be hard living here.”  
“It sure is…” Lady Donna sighed. “But let me introduce myself properly. The children call me Lady Donna, which is a name I absolutely adore, but my real name is Isabella.”

Crash and Coco exchanged a knowing smile. Even with the bizarre getup and the cybernetic half of her face, they had recognized the leader as what must be this dimension’s counterpart to their Isabella.

“Beautiful name. You already know ours, apparently.” Coco smiled. “How come?”  
“A few years ago, we managed to intercept some messages on N. Gin’s personal comms.” Isabella started. “One of them mentioned special instructions should he find himself bothered by “Crash and Coco Bandicoot”, and from the tone of this message, those two were a great danger to him. Which is why ever since then, we’ve been waiting for your arrival, and-”  
“Wait wait wait.” the younger bandicoot interrupted her.

Something had caught her attention in Isabella’s explanation, something that worried her.

“You said “a few years ago”?”  
“Yes, why?” it was the leader’s turn to be puzzled, her and Crash sharing equally surprised expressions.  
“When did N. Gin began his invasion here?”  
“Seven years ago.” Isabella sighed. “Tomorrow’s the anniversary of his takeover. Hence the huge concert you’ve probably seen posters for.”

Crash gave his sister an even more confused look. As Coco felt her stomach drop at the thought of Cortex having been able to manipulate time and space even more than they thought, she pressed further:

“Things have been like that for seven years?!”  
“Yes… N. Gin himself is very rarely here, but he has his men keeping things running while he’s Lord knows where. For some reason, they make sure his awful music is still blasting everywhere all the time. Believe me, we’ve tried sabotaging the speakers they’ve put all over the land, but there’s simply too much of them.”  
“Hmm…” Coco muttered, deep in thought.

Crash looked at his sister curiously. He knew the expression on her face: she always had that frown when the gears in her highly intelligent mind were turning at full speed. Coco suddenly grabbed her tablet from the back of her belt, and her fingers started to dance quickly on its tactile surface.

“Isabella, you’ve said N. Gin only shows up every now and then?”  
“Yes.” The bandicoot confirmed. “Once every… six months, I’d say. He comes back, gives a huge concert for free the next day, and he leaves on the third day.”  
“Mmmmh… I see, I see…” the blonde grunted, her tablet’s screen filling with messy notes and unreadable diagrams.

Isabella watched her curiously, not used to Coco’s routine. Crash, on the other hand, gave the leader a thumbs-up and tried to decipher his sister’s scribbles, catching a few key points here and there.

“I guess Aku Aku and Lani-Loli told you about the whole “multidimension” thing?” she finally raised her eyes from her tablet after a while.  
“Hm? Oh, yes. I had a bit of trouble believing it a first, but… I don’t see why they would lie, especially since you came to help us.”  
“Cool, it’s going to be much easier to explain what I think is happening here.”

Coco tucked her tablet back in place and cleared her throat. Crash’s ears perked up: his sister seemed to have the situation figured out, and he couldn’t wait to hear the conclusion she had reached.

“As you know, Cortex has gotten his hands on something that allows him to reach other dimensions, and he’s sent N. Gin there. We thought that since we were quick to react, he wouldn’t have had time to do much damage here. However… you’ve said he arrived seven years ago – which explains why, on the surface, it looks like a whole town’s been built to his glory, with all its inhabitants happily trying to murder us.”

Crash winced as he remembered the various chainsaws that had come _very_ close to slicing through him.

“Except it’s not been seven years for him. He comes three days every three months for you; but from his point of view, there’s no break between his visits. From N. Gin’s perspective, he’s only spent a month and a half here. Which lines up with what I estimated – that unfortunately, Cortex’s been starting to go with his plan around two months ago.”

Isabella’s face fell, and she brought both her hands to her mouth. Sensing her distress, Crash trotted to her side and gave her a comforting embrace. Coco hadn’t expected that reaction, and Isabella’s palpable anguish tore at her heart.

“Isabella? What’s wrong?”  
“Those last seven years have been nothing but a nightmare… trying to survive every day, trying to protect all these children that were abandoned by their parents when N. Gin arrived… and to him, it’s only been a few weeks?!”  
“… yeah.” Coco hesitantly confirmed.

For a second, she feared Isabella would break down in tears, but nothing of the sort happened. The older bandicoot’s face horrifyingly distorted in a nightmarish mix of hatred and sadness, and she screamed out as she broke from Crash’s hug and grabbed her umbrella’s handle, unsheathing a hidden blade.

“THAT LOWLIFE!” she roared, slicing one of the chairs amassed in a corner of the stage. “OUR DAILY STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL IS NOTHING TO HIM?! HE SIMPLY… SHOWS UP, STROKES HIS EGO AND PLAYS SOME TERRIBLE NOISE HE CALLS MUSIC AT _MY_ ARENA, ORDERS FOR EVERYTHING TO BE DESTROYED, AND HE JUST… POPS IN SOMETIMES?!”  
“Isabella, please, calm down!” Coco implored.

Eventually, the leader followed the blonde’s advice, but not before she went through the entire pile of chairs, only leaving broken pieces of wood after she was done venting her anger.  
The Bandicoot siblings had witnessed their sweet Isabella get _nasty_ after losing a race, back in their world, and they found themselves very thankful that their dimension’s Isabella didn’t carry a sword around – or any other weapon, for that matter.

“I’m okay.” she informed, her breath short and some strands escaping her complicated hairdo, when Crash gave her a worried look. “Continue.”  
“Uh… okay. But before I move on, you mentioned N. Gin using… “your” arena?”  
“Yes.” Isabella grunted. “Before this nightmare began, I… well, for starters, I didn’t have any of that.” she pointed to the left half of her face and to her outlandish outfit. “I used to be the famous and renowned Isabella Bandicoot, the Desert Songbird. I was a soprano, and this city was renounced for its philharmonic orchestra.”  
“She was an opera singer.” Coco whispered to Crash, who silently thanked her. The bandicoot then spoke louder: “Okay, I see. Well… since we’re speaking of music, I think his music might have another purpose than just destroying your ears.”

Isabella and Crash both looked at her with even greater interest.

“Back when I was… younger, N. Gin would play music sometimes.” The bandicoot explained, her eyes suddenly lowered to the ground. Crash immediately walked to her side and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders; he knew how difficult it could be for Coco to bring up her past in Cortex's castle. “But nothing like heavy metal – if anything, he’d very rarely dabble in symphonic metal. He mainly played the organ and the violin, but never the drums. Since then, he’s had time to branch out, but… I still found it strange that he’d change his taste in music so drastically.”

There was a pause, and Isabella looked urgently at Coco, as if to silently press her to go on. Coco knew the former singer was really, _really_ not going to like what she would say next, but eventually, she continued speaking.

“It’s not a coincidence only adults have changed after N. Gin’s arrival, and why the resistance is composed only of children, save for you. Correct me if I’m wrong, but at the beginning, there were more members, right? Almost only the youngest people of the city, I bet. And as time passed, more and more people kept leaving and joining N. Gin’s side, until there were only the youngest children left.”  
“Yes.” Isabella blinked, surprised that Coco had guessed correctly. “How do you know that?”  
“Because of the way human hearing works. As people grow older, they have trouble picking on higher frequencies.”  
“So… they hear N. Gin’s music differently.” Isabella continued, earning an approving nod from Coco. “Which might make it sound nicer.”  
“Bingo. But it’s not only a matter of sounding better. A few years ago, back when I escaped from Cortex, he and N. Gin were working on a very, very dangerous weapon. Thankfully, Crash destroyed it before they could use it.”

The marsupial scratched his head, unsure as to what his sister was referencing. Then, suddenly, it hit him like a ton of bricks, and he gasped as he fully understood what was going on in the Hazardous Wastes.

“The weapon’s goal was to brainwash the entire planet.” Coco continued. “And I think N. Gin is trying to go for that approach again. I’ve recorded a few samples of his music before you… uh, invited us, and I’ve analyzed it just before, on my tablet. It turns out it’s way too complex to be just a random song. There’s a loooot of hidden layers and frequencies.”  
“No…” Isabella let out, fully grasping the gravity of the situation.  
“Unfortunately, yes. That’s why he only shows up every now and then. He only needs to make sure people listen to his garbage so they stay very obedient. And time plays in his favor. Young people pick up on much more details on his tracks, and it doesn’t reach their subconscious as easily. But as they grow older, they inevitably become hypnotized as well. You, Crash and I are probably immune to it because our hearing works differently from humans. But the humans aren't as lucky. He’s using the people here to create an army.”

Before Isabella could react to Coco’s final explanation – and the siblings knew her reaction would involve a great deal of sword swinging – they both rushed to her and grabbed one of her hands, anchoring her to the ground and to reality.

“We’re not going to let that happen.” the blonde promised, backed by Crash's vigorous nod. “We’re gonna infiltrate tomorrow’s concert and confront him.”  
“But how?” the soprano lamented, angry tears spilling on her organic cheek. “That... maniac plays the drums in some sort of huge robot!”  
“We’ve already destroyed huge robots of his, multiple times. We’ll defeat him. And if my theory is correct, once the people stop being subjected to his brainwashing, they’ll snap out of it. I can’t promise everything will be back to normal immediately, but…”

Coco trailed off, unsure how she should finish. She couldn’t promise they’d stay and help Isabella and the others rebuild their town. Their priority was to stop Cortex before he could execute his plan – because if he did, she knew the Hazardous Wastes’ current state would seem very enviable compared to whatever Cortex had in mind.

But Crash knew how to give Isabella the encouragement and hope she needed, and he tried to convey it with his usual babbling and enthusiastic gestures. Unfortunately, the leader didn’t understand what he tried to explain, but Coco was very happy to translate.

“He’s saying that after we defeat N. Gin, since it will be a large concert with a huge audience, it would be awesome for you to celebrate with a song.”  
“A… a song?! Me?!”

Crash nodded with a grin, and he gave her two thumbs up.

“Yeah!” Coco chuckled. “The people are probably going to be pretty distressed. They’ve spent seven years having someone telling them what to do… it’s probably going to be like waking up from a very long nap. What better than actual, beautiful music to help them come back to the surface?”  
“Well… I don’t know, it’s been so long since-”  
“You have until tomorrow night to get ready.” Coco winked. “We’ll work on a plan to take N. Gin down, while you and the children work on your big comeback.”  
“I…”

For a moment, Isabella was at a loss for words, her heart filling with hope and gratitude as she looked at the two smiling bandicoots in front of her.  
Then, she sheathed her sword back into her umbrella, which she left to fall on the ground. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and let her arms spread wide as her voice resounded in the empty, run-down auditorium, sending shivers down Crash and Coco's spines:  
  
“ _L’uccello canoro dal deserto decollerà di nuovo!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> L’uccello canoro dal deserto decollerà di nuovo: the desert songbird shall take flight again  
> (correct me if I'm wrong, it's based on my elementary school classes of Italian and on Google translate)
> 
> And there it is for my take on an alternate Isabella! I gave her angry outbursts because she's a VERY sore loser in CTR NF and I think she's the type to be very ladylike but go berserk if you push her buttons.  
> Around a month ago, I assigned each Nitro Squad member to a dimension from Crash 4 and drew a design. I haven't posted them online, but here's the list:
> 
> Isabella: Hazardous Wastes   
> Tawna: Salty Wharf (yes, she's AN ACTUAL PIRATE in my drawing)  
> Megumi: Tranquility Falls  
> Liz: 11th dimension  
> Ami: Sn@xx dimension
> 
> And since all of the Nitro Squad members had at least one prompt focusing on them on my first idea draft for this challenge, save for Isabella, I decided to write something for her with that in mind :)  
> hope you liked it!


	6. December 6 - Crouching penguin, hidden...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, and welcome to today's chapter!
> 
> Today's headcanon-turned-prompt is probably the funniest in the list - at least, I think so, and so far it's the story I had the most fun writing.   
> The premise is completely ridiculous, but I treated as seriously as I could. I even did some research on the American secret services and such.   
> Oh, the story might be a bit more action-filled and a taaaaad more "serious" than previous entries.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

In the Oval Office, one could have cut through the tension with a knife.

Sitting behind his desk, President David Miller was looking even gloomier than usual. At forty-one, the dynamic politician hailing straight from Minnesota was the youngest elected president in the country’s history; but it hadn’t even been two years since his investiture, and he already had white strands heavily peeking through his chestnut hair. His term’s current and first half had been riddled with increasingly concerning issues, and an important part of them were linked to one individual in particular.

There was a board on the right side of Miller’s side with countless pieces of papers tacked to its surface, all of them surrounding a blurry photo of the man causing Miller and the country so much trouble.

Dr Nicholas Dowed, or N. Dowed as he signed all of the outrageously verbose and outlandish demands he sent to the White House, was an engineer turned mad scientist who wanted Miller to give up his position to him and/or hand him the entirety of the Federal Reserve’s funds. At first, Miller and his staff had thought N. Dowed wouldn’t be much more than one of many lunatics with delusions of grandeur, but he unfortunately had the means to back his threats, and unleashed increasingly frequent and increasingly dangerous creations on the country.

After the most recent accident, which had ended with half of Los Angeles’ population’s body water being replaced by alcohol, one of Miller’s advisor had suggested they seek help from Australia: indeed, they often had to deal with a few mad scientists of their own, and they might be able to provide helpful advice.

Unfortunately, even the director of the unit in charge of cleaning after Neo Cortex and his cohort’s messes was unable to help. Whereas Cortex was sure to precede each execution of a scheme by broadcasting himself threatening the world, N. Dowed was much more unpredictable, only sending a letter to the White House well after his plan was put in motion, making it far harder to stop him before he caused too much damage.

As such, Miller now sat behind his desk, with only a few people standing in front of the mahogany piece of furniture, waiting for him to explain why he had summoned all of them so late at night.

“Mr President?” Alexander Walker, director of the FBI, inquired after a long moment of silence. “I suppose we’re here to discuss the… N. Dowed case.”  
“Yes, Walker.” Miller nodded gravely, elbows resting on his desk and hands folded in front of his face. “I have… a solution to propose, but it’s our last resort, and I wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything else we could try.”  
“I say we ask for the Bandicoots’ help.” Juan Martinez, Vice President, offered. “I know the Australian authorities denied us contact with them, but I think we should try to reach them discreetly.”  
“It won’t work.” countered Hailey Johnson. “They’re used to infiltrate Cortex’s compounds or defeat him when he shows up. I’m not sure they can handle someone who does as much as he can to stay hidden in his ridiculously fortified laboratory.” The CIA director paused for a moment, before suggesting: “Perhaps we should launch an assault on his lab. Strike when he least expects it.”  
“Not a viable option.” Kyle Thompson, Secretary of Defense, shook his head. “It’s far too risky. We don’t know the layout of the place, and we have no idea what he hides in there. Even if we were to send a whole army, who knows what biological weapon he could unleash on them?”

They all looked at each other for a moment, thinking about all of their options, wondering if they could make at least one of them work. But after a few minutes of fruitless pondering, President Miller sighed as his hands fell on his desk.

“Thank you for your help.” he grumbled, ignoring the offended look of the people standing in front of him. “But I guess none of that is going to solve our problem. Which is why we’re going to have to stake everything on our last option. Morris?”  
“Yes, sir.” the USSS director nodded, earning all of the other attendees’ attention.

Frances Morris was a stern woman who lead the secret services with an iron grip, and she wasn’t the kind of person you’d invite after work for a pint or two. It seemed like her face was unable to express anything else than contempt, gravity or reproach; but in that moment, and to everyone’s surprise, her expression was one of doubt and anxiety.

“As all of you pointed out, the plans you’ve come up with are riddled with flaws, and we can’t bet the United States’ safety on any of them. The only option we have left is…” she sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose, looking as if she was about to throw up. “… betting the United States’ safety on Agent Pyo.”  
“WHAT?!” all of them, save for a brooding Miller, yelped.  
“I am just as distraught as you.” Morris assured. “But it looks like he’s the only one who can take N. Dowed down.”  
“This is insane!” puffed Walker. “The future of our country, all in the hands of-”  
“I don’t like this anymore than any of you do!” Miller brutally stood up and slammed his hands on his desk. “But let’s face it. After what happened in LA, are we going to wait for N. Dowed to attack again? Are you willing to take that risk? We have no idea what he’s going to do next!”

Silence felt on the small assembly. They hated to admit it, but Miller and Morris were right.

“He might be our last hope.” the president groaned. “I’m giving you all one last chance. You have twenty-four hours to present me a foolproof plan to take N. Dowed down. If none of you succeed, then we won’t have any other choice than…” he took a deep breath before muttering: “… entrust the safety of the United States of America to a penguin.”

* * *

Penta Penguin, or Agent Pyo, had expected the call ever since the Los Angeles attack. He had spent his days sharpening his knives, training with his katanas and practicing hand-to-hand combat. His ninja attire was waiting in the armory hidden underneath his igloo, its black and red glory ready to be donned.

When the red phone resting in the middle of his armory rang, he clapped his flippers and cackled with excitement. President Miller was on the end of the line, explaining the situation and doing his best to delay the inevitable moment where he had to openly ask for Pyo’s help. Penta let him go uninterrupted, but he already knew everything Miller told him – and a lot more, having done research on his own.

The call lasted around an hour, the last third of which was spent negotiating Penta’s price for the job. Miller had expected a penguin would be happy with a shipment of the finest salmon Alaska had to offer, but Penta laughed in his face and demanded a million dollars. The sum was outrageous, but it was only a tiny fraction of N. Dowed’s demands.  
In the end, the president and the mercenary reached an agreement worth 750,00 dollars, set to be transferred to one of Penta’s offshore accounts as soon as he sent proof of N. Dowed’s defeat.

After hanging up, Penta rubbed his flippers and smirked devilishly.  
Things were going to be _very_ interesting.

* * *

“Unit E85! Do you copy?!”

Nothing answered Nicholas Dowed’s irked question, save for the unpleasant silence of static. The scientist angrily pressed another set of buttons on his elaborate walkie-talkie, hoping he could finally reach one of his men – one of his robots, to be precise.  
But that new attempt yielded the exact same result, as had his fifteen previous tries. What N. Dowed had begun to suspect seemed increasingly plausible: either his laboratory’s internal communication system had been destroyed, or his precious units had been damaged enough they were unable to answer their master.

Neither of those explanations made sense to him. The internal communication system was equipped with various safeguards and alarms, and none of them had triggered. As for the units, the only way they could have been put out of commission was if someone had managed to infiltrate his ridiculously huge hideout – something no one else had ever tried to do.

“Darn it…” the tall and gaunt villain grunted as he paced the security room, his eyes moving quickly between the monitors displaying surveillance footage in real time. “Looks like I’ll have to investigate this… issue myself.”

N. Dowed pressed a button on his watch, and almost immediately an armor sprung out of seemingly nowhere, encasing his body in a thick shield that granted him both protection and access to various weapons concealed in its gloves, shoulder pads and leg covers.

The security station’s door hissed as it closed behind him, and N. Dowed began pacing the compound, on the lookout for any anomaly. Since his main issue was establishing contact with his units, he decided to head towards the hangar where the robots that weren’t currently in use charged their batteries.  
For a while, as he made his way to the hanger at the center of his laboratory, something disturbed him, a feeling nagging at his brain without making itself clear. N. Dowed tried to push the unease away, assuming it was nothing important. But the feeling grew and grew, until he reached the hangar’s entrance and realized what exactly had bothered him: he hadn’t seen anything on the way.

Including the units that should have been pacing the laboratory and guarding each door.

Sensing that things were very, _very_ wrong, N. Dowed didn’t bother to wait for the hangar’s heavy doors to slide open, preferring to blast them open with his arm cannon. He jumped through the makeshift entrance, and once the explosion’s smoke cleared, he found himself in the middle of what could only be described as a bloodless carnage.

All of the hundred and fifty units that should have been standing on their charging stations were on the ground, some of them missing limbs and others having been reduced to nothing more than scraps of metal. N. Dowed’s eyes roamed over the scene, his body starting to tremble with fear and rage under its protective shell.

Finally, N. Dowed’s gaze fell upon the one responsible for all this destruction. Standing on top of what remained of one of his robotic minions, a katana in each hand and the red of his ninja outfit standing out like a crimson warning, a penguin was looking down towards him, his eyes squinting and a faint growl leaving his beak.

“ _WHAT_?!” N. Dowed screamed in disbelief and pure rage. “WHO ARE YOU?! AND ARE YOU THE ONE WHO DESTROYED MY PRECIOUS UNITS?!”  
“Hehehe…” the penguin cackled as he jumped from his spot, and N. Dowed didn’t know whether that sound was adorable or extremely creepy.

The mysterious penguin headed towards him, and N. Dowed reacted promptly. Gauging the intruder’s equipment quickly, he launched an orb full of a corrosive particularly efficient against metal in his direction. But to his surprise, the penguin expertly caught the projectile between his blades and threw it back to the scientist, who barely dodged it.

“YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR MISDEEDS!” N. Dowed roared as his gloves turned into saw blades and he launched himself at the penguin.

As if he’d been expecting the assault, his enemy jumped out of his way at a startling speed, doing a cartwheel in the air and managing to damage the back of N. Dowed’s armor before the scientist could retreat.

“RRRAAAHH! PESKY PENGUIN!”

The penguin used N. Dowed’s chaotic furor to his advantage, dodging the scientist's carelessly thrown miniature missiles and zigzagging towards him; at the last second, before the villain could react, the penguin’s blades sliced through the shoulder pads’ joints, destroying the chest piece’s cohesion.

“WHAT?!”

Before N. Dowed fully realized what happened, the chest piece’s parts fell to the ground with a deafening clatter. Using the evil scientist’s momentary disorientation, the penguin rammed his feet into N. Dowed’s exposed torso, cutting the frail man’s breath and causing him to stumble backwards with an awful noise.  
N. Dowed tried to prop himself up, but the weight of his armor kept him stuck in place, and he couldn’t do anything but watch as the penguin swiftly jumped on his torso and lowered his face, getting far too close to N. Dowed’s terrified and disbelieving expression.

“Penguin yay one.” the victor whispered, his eyes wide and his beak distorted in a deranged smile as he brought the flat of his flipper down on N. Dowed’s throat, sending the mad scientist into a brutal slumber.

* * *

“Polar! Penta is here!”

When Coco cheerfully called him, the small bear dashed outside the Bandicoots’ house, barking in happiness when he saw his friend standing a few meters away and excitedly waving a flipper. Penta didn’t visit often, preferring to spend his time in the coldness of his natal Antartica; so each of his visits was a special occasion, and Polar always looked forwards to them.

“Polar!” Penta greeted when the cub reached him and lifted his front paws to rest them against the penguin’s belly. “Gift!”

Penta pointed to the heavy bag he was dragging behind him, which smelt suspiciously like fish. Polar’s eyes widened and his tongue ran over his snout as the tantalizing smell reached him.

“Aww, that’s really sweet!” Coco cooed as she petted the penguin’s head, earning a pleased noise. “CRASH! Can you help them carry it inside?”

The bandicoot, roused from the nap he was taking on the grass by Coco’s shout and Aku Aku gently nudging him, took a moment to notice his penguin friend was there. When he did, he greeted him joyfully and gave him a hug, before taking the bulky bag in his arms and heading towards the house, followed by an eager penguin and an even more eager bear.

Coco and Aku-Aku looked at the adorable sight, blissfully unaware of the katana and spare ninja outfit Penta had concealed in his bag’s lining.

After all, Agent Pyo’s services could be unexpectedly and urgently needed, and as someone who took great pride in his work, he made sure to _always_ be ready for a contract.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to listen to the entirety of Penta Penguin's voicelines to write his speech as accurately as possible. I hope the sacrifice was worth it.
> 
> Anyways, I have this headcanon that Penta is secretly a very skilled assassin. Its based on his CTR skins and on the amusing (and slightly scary) fact that he can get either Aku or Uka to protect him in a race! He's truly a chaotic little penguin. I love him.  
> I also love the idea of Penta and Polar being super close! And Polar is one of the only words Penta can say! (along with "1 million dollars", which is his standard quote for a job. Then he negotiates with his weird penguin noises.)
> 
> Thank you for reading, and please don't hesitate to leave a review, kudo or bookmark!! <3


	7. December 7 - Sunken memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> Sorry for not posting yesterday, I'm studying a lot at the moment and I really needed some rest yesterday OTL   
> I'm now one entry late, but I'm 99% sure I'll have caught up by the end of the week!
> 
> This chapter takes place between Crash 1 and 2, and focuses heavily on Coco & Tawna and Coco & Crash's relationship. Fair warning, it's pretty angsty, but it has a very happy ending :)  
> Please enjoy!

It had probably been four days since Coco had ran past Cortex Castle’s gates for the first time, but she wasn’t sure anymore. Ever since she had betrayed her creator, she had spent every second on edge; Cortex did _not_ tolerate deserters, especially when they were supposed to lead his commandos. The evil scientist had sent countless troops of lab assistants after her, and even some mutants. There had been one close encounter with Dingodile during the first night; she still remembered his flamethrower’s incandescent stream slicing through the bushes hiding her.  
Thankfully, since that particular fright, Coco had managed to go undetected.

And now, after four grueling days or so, Coco had _finally_ reached her destination.

Her empty belly grumbling desperately, her throat parched and aching for the smallest drop of water, her matted fur, her aching limbs, all of that vanished the second she reached a small glade near N. Sanity beach and saw two mutants sitting in front of a small house.

Feeling lighter than ever, her heart racing and unable to stop herself from laughing no matter how much it hurt, Coco used the last of her strength to dash towards her goal. As she passed through the small fence who defined a garden around the house, one of the two mutants immediately got up from her deckchair and roused the other from his deep sleep.

“Crash!” Coco yelled with all of her remaining oxygen as she stopped in front of the waking bandicoot. “Big brother!”

As Crash stretched his limbs and sat straight, Coco collapsed on the grass, her knees giving out from exhaustion and emotion. The other mutant – Tawna, she assumed – gasped and lowered herself to Coco’s level, looking worried as her gaze met the younger girl’s.

“Are you alright?” Tawna asked as Coco tried her best to catch her breath, tears overflowing her tired eyes and running down her cheeks’ dirty fur.  
“Y-yeah… ‘m fine…” she panted. “Just very… tried. Ran from… Cortex…”  
“All by yourself?!” the older bandicoot’s eyes widened, and Coco suddenly felt proud. “No wonder you’re in such a state, you poor thing… Crash, come on!” she urged, not understanding why Crash was still sitting on his deckchair, head tilted and looking curiously at the newcomer.  
“… Crash?” the fugitive asked, a wicked feeling of uneasiness creeping in her mind when she noticed her older brother was studying her intently.  
“Say hello to your sister!” Tawna insisted.

Nodding, the marsupial hoped on his feet and walked to Coco, who tried to get up so she could throw herself at the brother she had missed so much. But no matter how hard she pushed on her quivering arms, the clever mutant was unable to rise from the ground.

“Hey, take it easy. You don’t need to get up, he’s not going anywhere.” Tawna smiled as Crash, still silent, plopped down in front of his crying sibling. “I’m… I’m going to leave you two for a little while, okay? I’ll go grab you some water and something to eat.”

After an affectionate pat on Coco’s head, Crash’s girlfriend dashed towards their house. She was delighted that Coco had managed to escape Cortex’s clutches. Crash had talked about her so much back in the castle, and Tawna knew just how much the marsupial loved his sister.

There was one thing bothering her, though. When Crash was going through his last training days, just before he was scheduled to go through the Cortex Vortex, Tawna had overheard a conversation between Brio and Cortex, about how Coco would be chosen as Crash’s replacement should he fail to become the general he was expected to be. Of course, she had immediately informed Crash of their creators’ sinister plans for his sister. The two of them had already planned to escape, and they thought they could come back to rescue Coco after they had gotten familiarized with the outside world.

But Cortex had abruptly changed his own plans, deciding to put Crash through the Vortex ten days earlier than planned. It had thrown the couple off-guard, and they didn’t have the time to come up with a new plan. Thankfully, they still had managed to run away, although it had been a very close call.

But that had been six months ago, and in those six months, Crash hadn’t mentioned his sister once. Tawna hadn’t thought much of it, at first: they had gone through a lot, the Vortex had messed with Crash’s brain, and with the massive destruction Crash had caused it was unlikely Cortex would be able to raise an army anytime soon.  
She had asked him about it after a few weeks, but he had never answered her questions. He’d simply stared vacantly at her, as if he wasn’t understanding anything of what she was saying.

And as Tawna, waiting for a slice of wumpa pie to heat in the microwave, peeked through their kitchen’s window, she regretted not having pressed further. Coco was looking downright _miserable_ , and the mutant had a feeling it wasn’t just because of her recent escapade. Her head was hung low, her body heaving with each sob, and-

Wait. Crash had a comforting arm around her, but his sister seemed to be crying in despair, not in happiness. Tawna had a very bad feeling about the situation, and she quickly grabbed a bottle of water before running outside. Her heart was drumming madly in her chest, and when she reached the Bandicoot siblings, she felt it shatter in her chest.  
Coco was desperately gripping Crash’s fur, almost tearing some away, hiccuping and wailing messily:

“P-please! Why… why d-don’t you remember?”  
“Crash, what’s going on?”

Tawna directly asked her boyfriend, since she doubted Coco would be able to answer in her state. Both blondes looked pleadingly at the marsupial, but all he did was shrug and give Coco’s back awkward pats. The younger bandicoot collapsed in her brother’s arms, and Crash lifted one of his hands to pet the tangled mess she had in lieu of her usual ponytail.

“You remember her, right?” Tawna mouthed in Coco’s back, only to be answered by a shake of his head. “Coco, your little sister!”

Once more, Crash shook his head, and in his arms, Coco kept wailing.

* * *

After what had seemed like an eternity, Aku Aku had come back from his weekly meeting with Papu Papu. To say the mask had been flabbergasted at the sight that had welcomed him home was an understatement; but thanks to Tawna, he had quickly caught up. It had taken a while, but Aku had managed to calm Coco down until she had accepted to eat and drink a little.

The youngest bandicoot was now sitting in Tawna and Crash’s kitchen, stuffing her mouth with wumpa pie as if she hadn’t eaten in days – which, Tawna realized, was probably the case. Crash, on Aku Aku’s suggestion, had left for the nearby village to help the locals deal with an invasion of armadillos that had clearly been experimented on. Aku Aku had left with him, even though Tawna had all but pleaded not to be left alone with her boyfriend’s sibling, unsure if she would be able to handle another meltdown.

The two bandicoots were now sitting in front of each other, silence filling the kitchen save for the noises of one famished bandicoot devouring her meal.

“… is it good?” Tawna finally asked.

Coco loudly swallowed the last piece of her fourth slide, nodding as she did so.

“Hmmmm! I love it.”  
“Great.” the older woman smiled as she filled Coco’s water glass once more. The blonde thanked her before downing it all in one go.  
“Did you make it?”  
“Yeah. I like baking.”  
“Cool.”

An awkward silence followed, none of the blondes knowing what to do next. Coco had no idea about what Tawna thought of her, and Tawna didn’t want to accidentally upset Coco further than she had been earlier.  
Suddenly, an idea struck Tawna.

“Hey, how about you go have a bath? It’ll probably do you some good, after all that running.”  
“Yeah… that sounds nice.” Coco agreed.

She got up, still a bit wobbly on her feet. Tawna quickly got up as well, an arm hovering a few centimetres away from Coco’s back, just in case.

“Bathroom’s just next door. You’re lucky I put some water to heat earlier in the day, otherwise your bath would have been pretty cold…”  
“You don’t have running water?”

Coco’s tone was as casual as can be, and for a moment, Tawna wondered if it was a joke.

“Uh…no?”  
“Oh. Well, I’ll have to do something about it… um, if you don’t mind, of course.”  
“Of course not! You’re home just as much as Crash and I.”

Coco stopped walking, aiming her piercing emerald gaze at Tawna.

“You mean it?”  
“… yeah? Why wouldn’t I?”  
“I… I don’t know.” Coco admitted, rubbing a hand behind her grimy neck. “I thought… maybe you’d rather stay with Crash. Alone with him, I mean.”  
“Hey, Coco.” Tawna gave the blonde a tentative hug, smiling when Coco hugged her back. “You’re Crash’s sister. You’re family.”  
“Thank you.” Coco mumbled against Tawna’s chest.  
“Get in the bath, I’ll get you some clothes.” Tawna asked after quickly eyeing Coco’s overalls – what had been Coco’s overalls but were now shreds of fabric barely holding themselves together.

With a grin, Coco nodded and entered the bathroom.

* * *

“Ouch!”  
“Sorry, I’ll try to be more careful.”

Coco was sitting in the bathroom’s small tub, hugging her knees and feeling her muscles relax as the hot water sloshed around her. Sitting behind her, outside the bathtub, Tawna was armed with a sturdy comb and trying her best to untangle the rat’s nest on top of Coco’s head.

“Maybe I should give it another wash?” Crash’s sister suggested, already reaching for the apple-scented shampoo bottle floating near her.  
“No, three was enough. They’re clean, just full of knots.” Tawna shook her head.  
“Hmm.”

Coco closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of Tawna combing through her long hair, a satisfied noise leaving the older bandicoot every time one knot came undone. She almost fell asleep several times, but was woken by Tawna every time. The bandicoot was all for Coco catching some much needed rest, but not in a bathtub, if possible.

“Hey, not yet.” she gently patted Coco’s shoulders. “There’s a cozy bed waiting for you as soon as we’re done here.”  
“Okay.” Coco hesitated for a moment, before taking a deep breath and continuing. “Hey, Tawna…”

Another pause, but Tawna let Coco take her time. They were basically strangers, having never met before that day, and Coco had all the reasons in the world to feel uneasy around her.

“… how come Crash doesn’t remember me?”

The older bandicoot was thankful Coco had her back turned, because that way she didn’t see her guiltily biting her lip.

“I’m… I’m not really sure.” Tawna answered honestly, her damp comb slowly making its way through a thick blonde knot. “It might be because of the Cortex Vortex. It went completely crazy when Cortex tried to make Crash go through it, and Crash was a bit out of it for a long time afterwards. Maybe it messed with his memory.”  
“Maybe…” Coco’s shoulders dropped. “... but he didn’t forget you.”

She couldn’t help the acrimony laced in her words, and Tawna didn’t resent her for it. She could perfectly hear what Coco had left unsaid: “ _he came back for you, but not for me_.”

“He didn’t, that’s true.” Crash’s girlfriend nodded, gently using her fingers to brush the hair she’d just disentangled. “But we spent a lot of time together before the… incident. And you know, Cortex forbade him to see you, but he still tried to sneak in the lab so many times!”  
“Really?!”

Coco spun around, sending water flying on the other woman and all over the floor. Instead of admonishing her, Tawna gently smiled at the excited light in Coco’s eyes.

“Yup. Liz wouldn’t have minded, but it wasn’t up to her. Also, he talked about you all the time.”  
“I had no idea…” Coco wiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye. “Nobody told me that.”  
“I guess the other mutants didn’t tell you much about him in general, huh?”  
“No, except to say how much they hated him. And to say that he didn’t care about me, since he wasn’t coming back.”

Coco’s voice cracked, and Tawna’s hands found her scalp to soothingly pet her.

“… I told them they were wrong, that Crash would never abandon me. That he would come back. But… they were right, weren’t they?”

The young bandicoot started crying again, but it was nothing like her earlier wailing. Those tears fell quietly, as if she didn’t have the strength to do more than that. Tawna had a feeling that had to do with the state of exhaustion Coco was in, both mentally and physically.

“Of course they weren’t.” she countered, her voice soft, still petting Coco. “Crash loves you more than he loves anyone else. His memory might be… scrambled, but I know he still remembers you. I know what I’m about to say isn’t very helpful, but give it time. You’re worn out, Coco, you should sleep, okay? And we’ll talk about it tomorrow morning, the three of us.”  
“Mmmh.” Coco nodded with a yawn.

Tawna wasn’t done with her hair yet, but she had gone through the biggest knots and decided to call it a day. She helped Coco out of the bathtub and, once the younger bandicoot had put one of Tawna’s spare pajamas on, she led her to the guest bedroom.

“Do you want me to dry your hair?” Tawna asked after Coco plopped down on the bed.  
“No, I’ll just braid it.” she shook her head.  
“Okay, I’ll get you a scrunchie then.”

Coco nodded and slid under the cover before starting to thread her hands through her long mane, and Tawna left silently.  
When she came back, a few minutes later, Coco was fast asleep, her barely braided hair sprawled all over the pillow.

* * *

Crash woke up with a start, which surprised him.

He never woke up at night, unless there were sirens blaring less than a meter away from him (which _had_ happened one time). But something had roused him from his sleep, and even though he didn’t know what, he felt his ears perking up and his truffle inhale deeply, all senses on alert. Finally, it hit him – there was a faint but heartbreaking whine in the distance, one that made him feel sadder than he had ever felt.  
  
Crash carefully untangled himself from a still sleeping Tawna, then he silently slid out of their bedroom. The sound grew louder, and he quickly identified its source: the guest bedroom.  
When he had come back from the indigenous village, just a bit after sunset, his girlfriend had informed him Coco was already sleeping in that room and that they would need to talk the next day. Crash had nodded silently, guilt clawing at his heart.

Even as he quietly tiptoed to the guest room, the bandicoot couldn’t help but feel confused about the whole affair. He had no reason to doubt Coco when she told him they were siblings – why would she lie? – but no matter how hard he tried to remember anything about her, he simply couldn’t. A lot of things that had happened before he was put through the Cortex Vortex were fuzzy, even when he focused really _really_ hard.

Finally, he reached the spare bedroom and put his ear against its door to check if the sobs were coming from there- they definitely were. Crash carefully opened the door, then slipped inside.  
Tawna had taken care to draw the curtains close, but even then, faint rays of moonlight reached through the fabric, giving Crash a little light and allowing him to see the huddled and shaking form on the center of the bed. Coco was curled on herself, with her blanket tightly wrapped around her, and she was still asleep. But she was probably going through a nightmare, judging by the tears dripping down her cheeks and the broken sobs that escaped her.

It reminded Crash of something, something a long time ago, before he was even mutated. Curious, and wanting to do his best to appease Coco, Crash climbed on the bed and curled into a little ball as well, nesting himself as close to the other bandicoot as he could. It was a familiar thing to do, as if he’d done it time and time again before, and he heard Coco’s cries growing fainter and fainter.

She was still shivering, so Crash nuzzled her cheek in a comforting gesture – wait, how did he know it would comfort her? He didn’t linger on that thought, following his instinct and humming softly as his nose brushed against Coco’s fur.

Her scent…

It was…

A long, long time ago…

And then, it all came back.

The days spent together with his sister, gathering food and playing. His sister was so, so clever, always coming up with ways to get as much food as they needed.  
Being captured by unknown, terrifying men that put them in cages that were far too little, that separated them until the two of them bit and bit again and they were allowed to share a cage.  
Being separated one last time, put under a strange and terrifying machine, becoming… different and not allowed to see her again, ever.

Crash blinked as his brain was filled with all the memories that had been pushed at the back of his mind in a botched experiment.  
  
 _Of course_ Coco was his sister. How could he had ever doubted it?  
And now, they were finally reunited. His brave, beloved little sister had escaped all on her own, she’d found the way to him all the way from Cortex’s castle, and he wouldn’t let anyone take her away _ever_ again.

As Crash savored having recovered his most precious memories, Coco’s breathing slowed down to a peaceful rhythm, and it wasn’t long before he followed her into a peaceful slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is, my headcanon for how Coco came back home!  
> I know why Coco comes out of nowhere in Crash 2 in terms of META reasons, but I wanted to provide my own LORE reasons (influenced by the flashback tapes from Crash 4).   
> Crash is such a good person there is no way he'd abandon his little sister!   
> I hope you liked that story ~


	8. December 8 – Princess ♡ Kokoro, Shiny Attack ☆ Flash-on!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> Here is today's chapter! With a heavy focus on Coco and N. Gin. I liked that IAT confirmed what basically everyone had guessed about N. Gin teaching her a lot of things.   
> So here's a story about Coco working on her own little project in secret, and N. Gin finding out!   
> Hope you enjoy!

“Oh yeah, baby! Take that!”  
“You cheated!”  
“Uh huh, I didn’t. You just suck.”  
“C’mon, Joe, don’t be a sore loser. Moe won fair and square, so now it’s my turn.”  
“Pfff…”

Ignoring his older brother’s guffaw and Dingodile’s satisfied snicker, Joe handed the pyromaniac mutant his controller. The unusual abruptness of his gesture, a sharp contrast with his customary smooth movements, betrayed how unhappy he was with the demise of his pixelated avatar at the hands of his own sibling’s virtual barbarian.

“Watch it, mate, Joe was just a warm-up.” Dingodile grinned, his smile revealing far too many fangs to look anything but threatening. “I’ll give ya a _real_ match.”  
“Less talking and more fighting!”  
“Oh, it’s on!”

The game’s announcer loudly counted down from three to one, and then the battle begun. At least, it would have begun had the television not brutally been turned off, drawing a vengeful chuckle from Komodo Joe and two outraged protests from the other mutants – protests who died very quickly when they noticed N. Gin was standing next to the television, arms crossed in front of his chest and a bit of smoke coming out of his missile.

“Uh oh.” Dingodile gulped.  
“Can any of you three imbeciles explain what’s going on?” the scientist inquired, his organic eye squinting as he shot the mutants death glares.  
“Sure.” Moe shrugged, hoping N. Gin wasn’t actually mad at them. “We’re doing a little _Arcana Fight_ tournament.”  
“Arcana what?”  
“A videogame!” Moe answered excitedly as he grabbed the game’s box from the coffee table in front of the couch.

Dingodile and Joe tried to take the box away from him, but it was too late: the older Komodo brother had already handed it to N. Gin. The scientist wasn’t particularly interested by video games; however, he was _very_ curious to find out what was so special about this game in particular that it made the mutants so eager to hide it from him.

The front cover was quite colorful, depicting a variety of medieval looking characters in battle stances surrounding the game’s logo, a silver sword with the words _ARCADIA FIGHT_ engraved in all caps on its blade. What surprised N. Gin was the lack of a publishers’ label; and when he flipped the box, he was surprised to notice it was empty, as if the game’s creators hadn’t bothered with sticking at least a summary of their work somewhere.

“Where did you find this?” N. Gin asked, his gloved fingers running over the case.

The three mutants looked at each other, unsure if they should answer. For a moment, it seemed like Moe was about to speak, but a particularly nasty glare from his younger brother shut his maw close.  
Things were standing at a standstill, prompting an annoyed N. Gin to rub the base of the rocket lodged in his head as he grumbled:

“Listen, I don’t care about what you... mutants do in your free time. Play all the games you want for all I care. But none of you is supposed to be enjoying some “free time” right now, because it’s ALREADY 10AM!”

His sudden scream took the mutants by surprise. Most of the time, they weren’t as intimidated by N. Gin as they were by Cortex, but when the cyborg really wanted to scare them, he sure succeeded.

“Already?! Geez…” Dingodile winced, trotting towards the flamethrower he had left in a corner of the room. “Didn’t see time pass.”  
“Me neither, sorry ‘bout that…” Moe tried his best to give his most innocent smile – needless to say, N. Gin didn’t buy it.  
“Then scram. All of you. And if I ever catch you slacking off to play some dumb video games, I’ll be sure to tell Dr Cortex about it.”

That was all the motivation the Komodo brothers and Dingodile needed to leave without a single word. N. Gin rolled his eyes, wondering how on Earth his patience hadn’t been worn thin after spending four months with these… specimens and their cohorts.

On top of that, his curiosity was still dissatisfied. To acquire new items, the mutants had to specifically request them on a monthly list that had to go through Cortex, Brio and himself before lab assistants were sent to buy said commodities. While the mutants were allowed some leisure items from time to time, such as the PlayStation that was still turned on right next to him, they were so few and in between than N. Gin distinctly remembered all of them – yes, even the time Tiny had asked for his own copy of Harvest Moon.

“Hmmm… let’s see…”

N. Gin opened the console and retrieved a bright pink disk from the CD compartment, with the game’s logo emblazoned on it. There didn’t seem to be much more information he could use there, at least until he brought the CD closer to his right eye. The cybernetic orb that had replaced his damaged eye allowed for a much more precise vision, leading N. Gin to notice that a minuscule and familiar logo had been engraved right under the game’s name.

Well. _That_ explained a lot, he shook his head, both upset and proud at the same time.

* * *

“COLETTE SHARON BANDICOOT!”

Startled, the blonde dropped her soldering iron, cursing when it fell on her workbench and barely avoided the complex circuits she had been working on.

“Please don’t call me that.” she sighed as she heard N. Gin’s characteristic steps get closer to her.

She hated being referred to by her full name: both because she _loathed_ it and much preferred to go by her chosen nickname of Coco, and because when N. Gin called her that, it meant he was about to give her a long scolding.

“What did I do this time?” Coco rolled her eyes as she turned around, finding herself face to face with a scientist who was looking very, _very_ displeased. “If it’s about Cortex’s new hoverboard, I told him it wasn’t ready yet because I have to work on its stabilizer.”  
“ _Dr_ Cortex.” N. Gin corrected reflexively. “And no, it doesn’t have anything to do with that – although he expects it to be done tomorrow.”  
“Ugh!” Coco threw her head back in irritation, before starting to count on her fingers. “As if I didn’t have enough deadlines as it is! I’m supposed to develop a new submachine gun for Pinstripe’s men, find a way to improve Dingodile’s flamethrower, review your plans for that really weird bionic hands project, work on-”  
“Work on all of that, yes, and not on little projects like this.”

After cutting her, N. Gin simply handed her _ARCADIA FIGHT_ , earning a confused expression from the bandicoot. They both smiled awkwardly at each other: Coco because she was almost certain she was about to get the reprimand of her life, and N. Gin because he was happy to be right – and still a little proud that Coco, who had spent weeks mentoring, had apparently managed to develop an entire game in his back, even though they spent so much time in the same lab.

“I, um… it’s a pet project of sorts?” she shrugged, trying to look casual about the whole thing. “Like extra credit work?”  
“Extra credit work, mmmh? Are you sure it’s not a distraction to your _actual_ work?”  
“No! Of course not!” the marsupial protested sincerely. “Have you ever seen me work on that in the lab? I did it all in my spare time, I promise!”  
“I really want to trust you, Colette, but-”  
“It really _is_ a pet project!” Coco was starting to become more agitated, which N. Gin found rather surprising. “You and Cortex and Brio tell me what I have to do all the time, but you never let me do what _I_ want to do!”

As if she had just realized what she’s said, Coco brutally raised her hands to cover her snout. While she had gradually built the courage to vent some of her frustrations to her mentor, she had never allowed herself to voice all of her resentment at her creators.

N. Gin was so surprised by Coco’s reaction that he didn’t even chastise her for referring so rudely to him and the two other scientists. He couldn’t help but feel an almost painful tug in the back of his brain when he replayed her complain in his head and saw the fear and frustration pooling in her eyes.

He knew those feelings- he knew them all too well. From his parents forbidding him to tinker in his childhood, claiming no son of theirs was to do what they called “manual labor”, to his superiors, back when he was working in the defense industry, who wanted to heavily restrict his area of expertise and vetoed almost all of his projects, N. Gin had unfortunately become accustomed to having his creativity and genius curbed by everyone in his life.

It was a huge reason he was so happy to work for Cortex and didn’t mind the way the other scientist sometimes - or, if he was honest with himself, often - treated him. As long as he had absolute freedom in his laboratory, which Cortex granted him under the reasonable condition N. Gin didn’t make the castle explode, the physicist was satisfied.

As he mused over those thoughts, Coco was still looking at him, expecting the redhead to lash out and forbid her from working on her own projects again. But N. Gin stayed uncharacteristically silent, his eyes slowly leaving Coco to glance at her workbench.

Its surface had been pristine and white, but now, one could hardly tell. There were stains of various chemicals all over it as well as burn marks, and the piece of furniture was overloaded with a mess of spare parts, tools and papers covered in complex equations and doodles. From a glance, N. Gin identified the skeleton of a gun, various diagrams of a hoverboard and his own blueprints, with post-it notes covered in Coco’s neat handwriting stuck all over them.

“You really made this game outside of the lab?”

N. Gin’s voice was startlingly calm, and Coco opted to answer carefully, unsure of what the scientist had in mind.

“Yes. I wrote all the code on my laptop, around… three hours at night? Except in the last days of development, I was so excited about it that I... _might_ have pulled all-nighters to finish it.”  
“Hmm… that would explain why you were so tired, a few weeks ago.”  
“That… would, yes.” Coco bashfully admitted.

Nodding, N. Gin looked once more at the box he held in his gloved hands, carefully eyeing all the details in the artwork.

“I had no idea you were an artist.” the redhead couldn’t help but probe after giving the game’s cover a proper once-over.  
“Self-taught!” for the first time since N. Gin had stepped inside the lab, Coco seemed to relax a bit and allowed herself to smile a bit. “Isabella did give me some pointers, though.”

After being mutated, Isabella had quickly developed a huge interest in fashion and painting; and on top of fulfilling her intended purpose of being Cortex’s accountant, she was also the castle’s appointed artist, responsible for all the paintings of Cortex and his “ancestors” – N. Gin, as almost everyone else working for the mad scientist, doubted any of them were actually related to Cortex – hung all over the stronghold’s corridors.

“I see, I see.” N. Gin mumbled. “And is this game any good?”  
“Huh?”

Taken aback, Coco blinked, unsure if she should answer. Someone had apparently ratted her out if N. Gin was in possession of _ARCADIA FIGHT_ , but she was still reluctant at the idea of involving anyone else in the messy situation.  
However, the clever bandicoot sensed N. Gin had considerably calmed down when compared to earlier, and an audacious idea sparked in her mind.

“Well… maybe you should test it and tell me what you think about it?”

For a fleeting moment, Coco feared she had pushed her luck too far; but when N. Gin gave her a cunning smirk, she knew her gamble had paid off.

“That might be interesting. But I warn you, I’m not much of a video games person.”  
“That’s fine. There’s four difficulty settings, and the first one’s specifically for complete beginners.”  
“Hmmm… alright, then. Ooooh, you know what? Let’s make it even more interesting!”

N. Gin laced his fingers together, as he always did when he was musing over something particularly evil, and the gesture didn’t escape Coco.

“… how?”  
“If I’m satisfied with your game, I’ll let you work on your personal projects as long as it doesn’t interfere with your usual work. I’ll even allow you to do so in the main lab.”  
“Okay.” It sounded too good to be true. Coco twirled the end of her ponytail around her index, deep in thought as well. “And… if I lose?”  
“No more “pet projects” of any kind, and I’ll be taking your laptop whenever you’re not in the lab. Sounds like a deal?”

Coco’s breath hitched, horrified at the thought of losing the only escape she had outside of N. Gin’s lab. She tried to read N. Gin’s devious expression to guess if he was sincerely giving her one chance at impressing him or if he was simply trying to trick her, having already made his mind about the game before even playing it.  
There was always the possibility the redhead could lie about his thoughts on the project that mattered so much to the bandicoot, but she couldn’t let that one shot at getting a bit more freedom slip by. Coco’s mind was always overflowing with ideas, about games, tools, objects she wanted to build but wasn’t allowed to, and she wasn’t sure how much more weapon-related projects she could handle before reaching her breaking point.

“Alright.” she finally breathed out. “I accept.”

N. Gin chuckled, and Coco wasn’t sure if it was out of mockery or genuine happiness.

* * *

“Is it any good?”  
“YES!” Tiny roared enthusiastically as he handed Pinstripe a small square-shaped box. The object seemed minuscule and easily breakable in his huge paws, but the thylacine made sure to treat it carefully. “LOTS OF FUN! Great game!”

The potoroo took the game box Tiny gave him and raised a quizzical brow at the bright cover that assaulted his retinas as soon as he laid eyes on it.

A single character was depicted right in the middle of the artwork. With her fluffy pastel blond ponytail and her big, bright mint eyes, she reminded him of the characters in the Japanese cartoons Megumi was often watching when no one else was using the television. The girl, with a tiara resting on top of her head, was wearing a princess dress of sorts, with far more frills, sparkles and ribbons than necessary, contrasting with the huge sword she held in one hand. All around her, the artist had managed to squeeze even more sparkles and shiny details all over the bright pink background.

“ _Princess_ _♡_ _Kokoro, Shiny Attack_ _☆_ _Flash-on!!_ ” Pinstripe read out loud, having managed to find the game’s title underneath all the sparkles. “Well, that’s a mouthful. And you said you liked it?”

Pinstripe’s eyes went back and forth from the colorful illustration to Tiny, wondering how on Earth someone who relished in destruction the way Tiny did could be so enthusiastic about such a babyish looking game. Although, if the sword the princess held was any clue, maybe the game wasn’t so childish.

“Very good story.” Tiny nodded. “Evil wizard Nao steal throne from Princess Kokoro. Princess has to get it back. Fights a lot. Also two men in love with Princess, and player has to choose.”  
“Okay…” Pinstripe was surprised to notice Tiny’s eyes were suddenly looking misty.  
“Very hard choice. Two men are all good men. But Tiny won’t spoil story.”  
“Alright then, guess I’ll have to give it a try.” The gangster pocketed the game, still a bit wary.  
“Oh! Also, can use gun.”  
“What?!”

 _That_ immediately piqued the CEO’s interest, and Tiny happily clapped his hands.

“Yes! When Princess beat enemy, can use enemy’s weapon. If you beat evil knight Pierrot, you get gun. Because Pierrot has gun.”  
“Huh… that sounds pretty awesome, yeah. I’ll tell you if I find it as good as you make it sound.”  
“Yeah! Tiny knows Pinstripe will like.”  
“Yeah, yeah, we’ll see. Later.”

With a casual hand wave, Pinstripe left the recreation room, barely managing to conceal his excitement at the idea of fighting against a gun-wielding knight.

And in a corner of the room, N. Gin – pretending to review something on his laptop – barely hid his grin. If Pinstripe was apparently so enthusiastic at the mere idea of the game having guns, what was he going to say when he reached the part where Neito, the penultimate boss, a dashing sorcerer blending his magical powers with an entire weaponry of his own creation, would face Princess Kokoro in an epic showdown?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, not gonna lie, I had so much fun imagining Coco creating a super girly game with an animesque self-insert as the heroine, and basing the villains and allies on people she knows.   
> It's a fighting game but she also added some visual novels elements, with different endings based on who the heroine chooses (or if she chooses to remain alone) and other things.   
> N. Gin got to play test it first!! c: 
> 
> It's not the story I initially had in mind for those two, but that first idea ended up being very long and perhaps a tad too depressing for this series. I'll finish it one day :) I took a very silly detail from the games and turned it into angst. Weeee.
> 
> Anyways, see you tomorrow!! <3


	9. December 9 - Full throttle!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> Sorry for missing yet another day, but I have a ton of uni work at the moment, so obviously that takes priority over writing fics...  
> Thankfully I have 2 weeks of holidays for Christmas! Yay!  
> Today is a really fluffy story about Polar, Liz and racing! I hope you enjoy and that it manages to bring you a smile :)  
> Thank you!

When Crash wasn’t the first one to go to bed, Polar took on that role. The small bear loved his sleep time, especially when he had such a comfortable basket to spend his nights.

But tonight, Polar wanted to stay up as long as possible. It had been a while since the Nitro Squad’s latest visit, and he – as all the other residents of the Bandicoots’ house – wanted to enjoy the five racers’ company as much as possible. Even when Tawna gave him a hug and assured him they’d all still be there the next morning, Polar was still disappointed the Nitro Squad girls wanted to go to bed early and didn’t get to tell him much about the latest Grand Prix they had attended before all of them gave him a goodnight kiss on the top of his fluffy head.

However, as Crunch and Coco turned the living room’s lights off after unfolding the convertible sofa – they landed their rooms to Ami, Megumi, Isabella and Liz, while Tawna shared her boyfriend’s bed – a devious idea grew in the cub’s head. His fascination and love for kart racing kept him awake, as did his unfulfilled thirst for firsthand stories about racing competitions.

Polar waited until everyone was asleep in the Bandicoots’ small house. Fortunately, the Nitro Squad girls were all exhausted after their long flight, and the three other bandicoots had seemingly been contaminated by their tiredness. Even Coco, who rarely went to bed before 11 pm, was out like a log before the small clock on top of the fireplace mantle rang ten times. If Polar was being honest, even he was on the verge of falling asleep, between the warm comfort of his basket sweetly pleading him to stay and the enjoyable quietness of the usually lively house.

But no, tonight, Polar was on a mission.

His little ears perked up to check if there wasn’t any suspicious noise, and the cub was happy to only pick up on various bandicoots’ snores. Satisfied, Polar rose up from his small bed and stretched his limbs a little: it had been tough to stay awake, and his members had already started to get pleasantly numb. The bear’s eyes roamed all over the living room, making sure Coco and Crunch were fast asleep on the convertible sofa – thankfully, they were, the blonde curled on herself while her younger brother was sprawled all over the mattress and taking over Coco’s half.

Satisfied, Polar silently crossed the room, hoping the noise of his claws scraping against the wooden floor wouldn’t suffice to wake anyone up. After passing through the front door, the small bear closed it very slowly to avoid it shutting too loudly. When the door closed without as much as a creak, Polar let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding in, and he started running towards the Nitro Squad’s plane on the other end of the beach.

The night was particularly cold, but hailing from the Arctic Circle, Polar found the nocturnal wind’s chilling bite enjoyable as he dashed through the beach, cold and wet sand flying behind him and small waves crashing against his paws.

It wasn’t long before the excited bear reached the plane, a unique model Coco had created specifically for the five racers. The Dynamite Den allowed them to travel the world as they pleased, functioning both as an aircraft and as a garage of sorts. It had enough room for all five of their karts, maintenance tools, spare tires and parts, and anything they could need to take care of their “battle horses”, as Isabella called them. The Den’s second floor housed the racers’ living quarters: they had one small bedroom each, as well as a common kitchen, a living room and a bathroom.

Coco had outdone herself to make sure the Nitro Squad felt home anywhere, and the result was impressive. Polar had visited the Den before, when Coco had first finished it and given him, Aku Aku and her brothers an exclusive tour of the aircraft. Polar wasn’t sure he would remember the Den’s entire layout, but he was almost certain he could at least find his way to the karts.

When Polar reached the Dynamite Den’s back hatch, he was relieved to find the aircraft’s security system didn’t seem to have changed since Coco had first demonstrated it. He jumped to reach a bright red button on the side of the door, causing a small floating screen to slide away from the hatch’s frame and hover in front of him.

“ _Input fingerprint_.” a robotic voice instructed as the screen glowed green.

With a satisfied yip, Polar pressed his snout against the screen. On top of the Nitro Squad, Coco had made sure to register a few other people in the security system, just in case; and Polar internally thanked her when the hatch’s door started to open, allowing him to sneak inside the aircraft.

As Polar started to prudently make his way down the garage’s central aisle, lights lit up on the walls, following his path and allowing him to take a proper look at his environment.  
The huge space was divided by the central corridor: on one side were five stalls, each housing one kart, and on the other were a collection of machinery, tools, stored kart parts and other various objects the cub was unable to identify.

Not caring much for what was probably the Nitro Squad’s maintenance reserve, Polar focused on what had brought him here in the first place: the karts, all five of them gloriously exposed to his illuminated eyes.

It was easy to tell which vehicle belonged to each racer, even without taking their color scheme into account or ignoring the personal pictures plastered on the walls surrounding them. Polar slowly trotted from one kart to another, taking his time to admire each of them.

First was Tawna’s Bandibuggy, a bulky kart Polar had seen the blonde racer work on with Coco’s help. Its surprisingly immaculate paint job, with angry blue stripes slashing against a pink background, offered a stark contrast with the kart’s huge, dented wheels. The bear had seen the kart in action, and he still marveled at the fact Tawna was able to handle such a massive looking beast with her characteristic finesse. 

On the next stall, Polar admired Isabella’s Cabrio. Her beloved battle horse allowed her to feel at ease on a majority of the tracks she raced, no matter if they were full of sharp angles or made of wide but rugged roads. The cub even let one of his paws linger on one of the kart’s front bumps, barely allowing himself to touch the pristine blue surface.

Moving on, the cub was particularly happy to finally get close and personal with Megumi’s famed Probulot 2000. Although she didn’t share Coco’s passion for mechanics, Megumi did have solid bases in that area and had clearly put them to good use. Her kart looked like it was straight out of a science-fiction movie, especially with the illusion its wheels gave when it was moving quickly: the wheels’ material appeared transparent when they spun fast, giving the impression Megumi’s vehicle was hovering instead of rolling.

After spending a long time admiring Megumi’s futuristic kart, Polar left it in favor of Ami’s ride. With its sleek lines and flashy colors, Ami’s Le Chaux was sure to catch everyone’s attention, especially when she sped past her competitors. The green-haired bandicoot favored speed over handling: her choice made it difficult for her to dominate tracks full of hairpin bends, but on the other hand, on broader and straighter roads, she was a formidable foe.

Finally, Polar roared happily as he reached the last kart: Liz’s Daredevil. The complete opposite of her speed-focused friend, Liz’s priority was having as much control over her vehicle and racing line as possible. Her lavender ride made it possible, and every time he watched a Grand Prix, Polar paid special attention to Liz. He found her way of driving elegant and thrilling at the same time, a perfect match of speed and control.

A bit nervous about what he was about to do, Polar took quick glances all around him. Satisfied to find no one had followed him, he chuckled almost evilly as he climbed in Liz’s car and sat behind the wheel.

Of course, he had no intention of taking the Daredevil for a joyride. He hadn’t the faintest clue about driving, and even if he did, he wasn’t so rude as to borrow someone’s kart – especially when it was so important to them – without permission. Polar was content enough to feel the kart’s leather seat beneath him and to let his front paws rest on the wheel. He was too short for his back paws to reach the pedals, but that didn’t stop him from pretending he was driving the Daredevil, sending mud flying everywhere as he passed each and every one of his opponents, snickering or roaring every time he pretended to overtake one.

Polar was so absorbed by his little game, even going as far as imitating motor noises and crashing sounds, that he didn’t notice someone entering the Dynamite Den and walking towards him. The cub had a great imagination, and as far as he was concerned, he was going 200 mph down a very bumpy road, dodging TNT crates left and right and drifting expertly.

However, the illusion shattered when a hand passed in front of him and pressed hard on the car horn, and all of a sudden, Polar was back in the garage, with a smirking Liz in front of him.

“Would you mind telling me what you’re doing here?”

Liz didn’t look particularly mad at him, but Polar suddenly felt very guilty regardless. He immediately removed his paws from the wheel as his ears fell down and he lowered his head.

“Hey, don’t worry. You’re not in trouble.” the racer smiled as she petted the bear’s head. “I was just wondering why on Earth a little guy like you would run away in the middle of the night.”  
“Arf!” Polar barked with a bashful glance.  
“Hmm…”

Liz had heard the cub’s racket as soon as she’d stepped inside the aircraft, and she had curiously observed him as she’d made her way to him. She hadn’t expected to find Polar apparently pretending to be a racer; but the sight had been too adorable, and she had guessed it wasn’t just a game like any other to the cub.

“Do you like racing?” she asked, picking the bear up from her seat.

Even though he was still a cub, Polar wasn’t exactly light; but she didn’t strain from the effort, having spent her time at Cortex’s castle tending to animals of various shapes, weights and sizes. Liz carefully put him on the ground before sitting next to him.

“Bark!” Polar enthusiastically nodded, earning a chuckle from the bandicoot.  
“You have very good taste, then. That’s why you were very eager to hear us talk about the Grand Prix, isn’t it?”

Another happy bob of the bear’s head.

“Aww, then I’m sorry we had to postpone that… the excitement must have kept you awake. Well, that, and apparently giving yourself a little tour of our garage.”

She playfully gave him a death glare, which Polar answered by hiding his face with his front paws.

“You know, had you just asked, I would have been happy to give you a tour myself! No need to be embarrassed about it. Especially not when it comes to something as wonderful as racing. Come on, let’s go back to sleep, and I promise tomorrow I’ll give you a real racing experience. Are you in?”

Polar’s eyes suddenly lit up with all the amazement in the world, and he merrily roared before throwing himself at Liz and licking her face in gratitude, making the bandicoot laugh and hug him.

* * *

“Are you ready, Polar? Then ready, set, _go_!”

It was around 10 am, and Liz had been true to her words. After his nocturnal escapade, Polar had slept like a log until 9 am, only opening his eyes when everyone else had woken up and started to make too much noise to ignore. He had devoured his breakfast even faster than usual, impatient to see what exactly Liz had meant when she’d promised him a “real racing experience”.

Polar had rushed outside when Liz had called him, and he had roared in surprise and joy when he had found himself standing in front of the Daredevil and its owner, who was wearing her full racing gear. She had even lent him one of her spare jackets, a beautiful garment emblazoned with her name, the Nitro Squad logo and her lucky number, 66. Coco had also provided a small biking helmet to make sure Polar would be at least a bit protected, even if she trusted Liz to drive safely.

Polar was now sitting on Liz’s lap, floating in one of her racing jackets and his heart beating madly as she turned the engine on and started to drive along the beach. Polar’s paws were resting on top of Liz’s hands, and it almost felt as if he was the one truly behind the wheel.

“Shall we go a little faster?”

Liz was answered by an enthusiastic howl, and she grinned as she pushed on the gas pedal.

The bandicoot wasn’t particularly familiar with the island, so she didn’t stray much from the beach, only sometimes going deeper in the jungle when she was sure the terrain would be negotiable. The drive was agreeable and a nice change, allowing Liz to focus on the scenery instead of on the speed or on taking the optimal road.

As for Polar, the little bear was having the time of his life. Tongue stuck out and paws happily pressing against the back of Liz’s hands, Polar discovered a whole new world of sensations, from the wind whipping against his face to the sound of the roaring engine and the wheels rolling on wood, mud, leaves or sand. It was as fun and intense as he had hoped, and by the time Liz drove them back to the Bandicoots’, the cub’s head was spinning with excitement and satisfaction.

“Did you enjoy the tour, Polar?” the racer asked with a smile as the engine stopped and Isabella and Crash stepped outside of the house to greet them.

The bear turned his head towards her and barked happily as he clapped his paws, and Liz rubbed the top of his head with a laugh. The bandicoot then lifted Polar and handed him to a grinning Crash.

“Sounds like you two had lots of fun!” Isabella cooed as she lowered herself down to Polar, who was lying on his back and barking excitedly, and rubbed his belly.  
“Yeah.” Liz nodded and stepped outside of the Daredevil. “The little guy seems like he’s really cut out for racing.”  
“Oooh!” Crash looked at Liz with widened eyes before flashing her a smile, apparently agreeing with her.  
“That’s why I have a little gift for him, if he wants it.”

At the mention of a gift, Polar immediately sat up and trotted towards Liz, who gestured him to follow her to the Bandicoots’ house. Equally puzzled, Isabella and Crash exchanged a shrug and trailed behind her.

Once inside, Liz noticed everyone else was in the living room – perfect. She had discussed her idea with Coco and Aku Aku beforehand; she knew Crash and Crunch would agree, but she wanted to make sure she had more responsible people’s approval. Her three followers still looking curiously at her, Liz reached for a thick package she had hidden beneath the couch and cleared her throat to grab the others’ attention:

“Ahem, everyone, please! If I could have your attention for just one moment!”

All the other bandicoots, startled, turned towards Liz as she made her way to Polar, who was waiting by his basket, head tilted to the side.

“It seems like there’s someone in this household who might be as interested in racing as us Nitro Squad members, and in fact, I think he just might make a formidable racer.”

She knelt in front of Polar, finding his puzzled and expectant gaze absolutely adorable.

“Which is why I took it upon myself to give him a little preview of what racing feels like this morning. And here’s something that might help you be the racer we all know you can become, Polar.”

She handed him the present, drawing “awws” from the small assembly and earning an affectionate rub of Polar’s snout against her hand. He hesitated a bit before tearing the wrapping, but after Liz’s gentle “go on, it’s yours!”, Polar’s claws sliced across the paper, barely concealing his excitement.

The bear’s eyes opened wide and he barked in happiness and gratitude as he saw what the wrapping had hidden: a thick book, its cover reading “HOW TO DRIVE”, and several tiny sticky notes protruding on its side. As Polar slowly, almost reverently, brushed a paw over the leather cover, Liz spoke again:

“It’s mine, so it might be a bit worn and I’ve written on some pages, but it really helped me and I think it might help you too.”  
“Awwww! Lizzie, that’s so sweet!” Megumi cooed from the couch, earning approving nods from everyone else.  
“Polar, uh, can’t really read much, but I’ll help him!” Crunch volunteered.  
“And once he’s got the basics down, I’ll make sure he has a proper training kart.” Coco added with a smile.

All that support brought Polar on the verge of happy tears, and he settled for throwing himself at Liz. Taken by surprise, the racer fell on her back, and Polar joyfully climbed on top of her to lick her face, hoping he could convey all his glee and his gratitude in the small gesture.  
As if she’d perfectly understood him, Liz laughed and hugged him tight against her, proud to have witnessed the beginnings of what she was sure was a bright racing career.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's how Polar began his racing career c:  
> Sorry for the lack of Pura in this fic... I just really wanted to focus on Polar OTL let's say it happens before Crash 3!  
> I thought it would be sweet for Liz to be the one teaching Polar how to drive (she gives him driving lessons whenever she visits) :) especially with her being Polar, Pura and Penta's cheerleader in the original CTR! And if you've read all of the previous stories then it's a continuation of an earlier story focusing on Liz :D
> 
> Also I liked choosing a kart from CTR NF for each of the Nitro Squad girls, it was fun to do.
> 
> Thank you so much for all the kudos, hits, bookmarks and reviews!! 
> 
> See you tomorrow!


	10. December 10 - Little Angel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!   
> Here's today's story! A good occasion for me to review my paediatrics class while I'm at it. Sorta. It's just a fun and fluffy story about Cortex needing people to take care of Nina c:  
> Please enjoy!

Neo Cortex was an extremely busy man. 

As an evil scientist whose main goal was world domination, his days started at dawn and ended long after night had fallen. Running experiments, giving instructions to his humanoid assistants and Evolvo’d creations, finding ways to keep a steady influx of money coming into his numerous bank accounts; he did all of that and more. Even his right-hand man, Nitrus Brio, had sometimes trouble keeping up with Cortex’s seemingly infinite amounts of energy.

Scientist, future emperor, businessman; Neo Cortex proudly wore all those hats, but there was one title he put above all others, even though he would rather die than admit it to _anyone_.

Neo Cortex was the very, _very_ proud uncle of an adorable little girl named Nina.

Unfortunately, his busy schedule didn’t leave him with a lot of time to take care of his beloved niece. He did as much as he could, though, often preferring to stay with her to play with her toys or tell her bedtime stories than catching on some much-needed sleep or play the piano, his favorite hobby. Cortex wished he could spend more time with the little girl, and he kept promising himself that one day – soon, he always added, very soon - when he _finally_ ruled the world, he’d catch up on all of that time.

One of the biggest challenges the scientist had faced after rescuing the poor infant from an… unfortunate accident in which all of their other family members had perished had been to find someone to take care of Nina when he was busy. As much as he would like to, he couldn’t spend his days with a baby strapped to his chest: that was a bit too dangerous.

So, Cortex had built a modern nursery right next to his lab, filled with all the toys, utilities, clothes and furniture needed for a baby. Brio and he had spent days creating special homunculi who differed from the other lab assistants in that their only purpose was to take care of Nina. Of course, he knew the limitations of those humanoid creations, and the caretakers were instructed to alert him immediately if there was anything wrong with his niece.

The first few days after entrusting the assistants with Nina had been a nightmare. Cortex had spent every moment on edge, afraid that they would hurt Nina or not realize it if something was wrong. But every time the scientist left his lab to visit the neighboring nursery, he’d find Nina either sleeping peacefully in her crib or drinking from a baby bottle in an assistant’s arms.

After a few weeks, Cortex and Nina both had grown used to that organization, and everything went on smoothly. The rare times Cortex was called, he noticed the assistants had alerted him as soon as they had encountered a problem with Nina or detected something unusual about her, assuring the scientist of the system’s efficiency.

However, a key point of that efficiency was that Cortex stayed nearby, ready to rush to his niece’s side at the drop of a hat. And with everything the evil genius had to take care of, that was unfortunately not always possible.

Which was why sometimes, Cortex found himself with no other choice than entrusting his darling niece to a babysitter, and he _hated_ every second of it.

* * *

“B-but Master, are you s-s-sure that’s a good idea? I d-d-don’t know anything about b-b-babies!”  
“That’s not really my problem, N. Brio. However, it will be my problem if anything happens to Nina while I’m gone. And you know how I deal with problems, right?”

Brio shuddered. Yes, he was _very_ aware of how Cortex took care of problems, because he was usually the one who had to clean the aftermath.  
A small, happy babble drew his attention away from the terrifying thoughts that had started to cloud his mind, and the chemist lowered his eyes towards the baby Cortex had just strapped to his chest.

Nina was looking at him with wide, curious blue eyes. She had a little tuft of black hair and was wearing a satin headband with a large bow: every morning, Cortex picked his niece’s outfit for the day, and he loved to put her in adorable clothes with equally cute hair accessories. With how little hair she had, hairclips were out of the question, so Nina had an extensive collection of headbands, beanies and hats with fake animal ears.

“Now, young lady.” Cortex stepped next to Brio and bopped Nina’s nose, making her laugh and clap her hands. “You better be on your best behavior while I’m gone, or else…”

The scientist’s features contorted into a grotesque grimace, earning another giggle from his delighted niece. Brio was tempted to laugh too, but he wasn’t sure Cortex would appreciate it, and he didn’t want to draw his master’s ire. There was only so much bandicoot guts scraping and other such punishments he could take.

“I’ll see you tonight, princess.” Cortex gently kissed Nina’s forehead. “Have fun with N. Brio! Who will take very good care of you if he knows what’s good for him!”

There was something very disturbing about the way Cortex cheerfully grinned as he threatened his right-hand man, but Brio decided to ignore it and focus on the baby he was now in charge of. He hoped Nina would at least behave herself, and maybe even sleep through most of the day.

But it seemed like Nina was already taking a lot from her uncle, because she decided to make Brio’s day a living hell, and it began as soon as the nursery’s doors closed behind Cortex.  
Brio had no idea nine months old babies could scream this loud, and he looked in panic as Nina cried and started to flail her limbs around, kicking Brio’s ribs while she was at it.

“H-hey, Nina, please, c-calm down.” the chemist urged her, wrapping his arms around the baby carrier in an attempt to comfort her. “Your un-uncle has v-v-very important things t-to do today, so I’ll take c-c-care of you.”

Of course, Nina understood none of his pleading, and her face started to turn red as she kept yelling, tears and snot dripping down her face. A panicked Brio looked all around him, trying his best to find something, anything, to distract the infant. Finally, his eyes fell on the plushie he often saw her with, and he ran to the stuffed fox.

“Oooooh, N-nina, look! Your f-f-friend is here!” Brio cooed as he dangled the fox in front of the little girl. She stopped crying for an instant, grabbed the plushie, then started to violently shake it as she screamed again. “Oh n-no, don’t do that. P-please… p-please stop crying.”

Brio racked his brain to find an idea to calm the baby down, struggling to find one until his eyes fell on a rocking chair in a corner of the room.  
Making his way to it as quickly as he could with a miniature banshee glued to his chest, Brio sighed in relief as he plopped down on the cushioned seat.

“Ok-okay N-nina, I g-get it, you’re veeeeery sad uncle N-neo isn’t here. B-but your uncle Brio will t-take good care of you!” he promised, awkwardly petting Nina’s head in a vain attempt to calm her down.

As his eyes kept roaming over Nina, Brio couldn’t help but feel as heartbroken as he was annoyed by her tantrum. He wasn’t stupid enough not to see through Cortex’s act: he knew how much the other scientist loved his niece, and it was obvious she loved him back. Now that he thought about it, it might have been the first time Cortex had entrusted someone else than the assistants to take care of the – currently screaming – bundle of joy.

But as much as Brio felt for Nina, that didn’t change anything to his lack of experience in taking care of babies. He racked his brain in hopes of coming up with a brilliant idea to immediately calm her down, and after a few minutes of intense reflection, he finally thought of something.

“Shhh, shh, N-nina. You must b-be really exhausted with all that s-screaming.” Brio’s voice was quieter, and he gently wrapped his arms around Nina and her baby carrier. “M-maybe you should take a nap, hmm? I’ll sing you a lullaby.”

And Brio did just that, starting to hum a lullaby he’d thought he had long forgotten, a beautiful song his mother used to sing him every night when he was a child. He had a terrible singing voice, and at first Nina didn’t even try to listen to him. But in the end, Brio’s soothing tone and gentle rocking in the chair won her over, and he watched her eyes struggle to stay open with satisfaction and even tenderness.

“Sleep well.” Brio whispered once Nina’s breathing had slowed down and she had slumped over his chest.

* * *

If the rest of the day had gone on like this, Brio wouldn’t have minded watching over her again, if needed. Unfortunately for him, nine months old were filled with outrageous amounts of energy, and after sleeping for around an hour, Nina had put him through _hell_.

Brio had discovered a lot of interesting things about babies that day, and he rued that cursed knowledge. To make things worse, Nina was advanced for her age, and she had drove him mad by constantly trying to escape the nursery, crawling at the speed of light all around the room, screaming her head off, somehow endangering herself every time he turned his back, and even throwing her lunch on his face – twice: before and after eating it.

After an uncharacteristically unruly and wild Brio had managed to make Cortex swear he’d never have to babysit the little demon again, the scientist was forced to find another unfortunate soul to watch over his precious niece in case of an emergency.

Fortunately, he found two of them.

* * *

“Are you sure this is a good idea, doctor? I mean, neither Crash nor I have any experience with human children…”  
“I’m sure you’ll do just fine.” Cortex dismissed Tawna’s concerns with a hand wave. “You and Crash are amongst the finest of my subjects, and I completely trust you to take care of my darling Nina.”  
“Um… sure.”

Tawna wasn’t exactly certain that hers and Crash’s aptitude in clearing insanely dangerous obstacle courses would mean much when it came to taking care of a two-year-old, but it wasn’t like she had a choice anyways.  
Crash, on the other hand, looked extremely happy at the perspective of babysitting his creator’s niece. He had a goofy smile on his face, and he gently knelt down in front of Cortex, drawing the attention of Nina, who was hiding behind her uncle’s legs.

“Come on, Nina, say hello to Crash.” the scientist turned a bit, giving the toddler an encouraging smile.

Nina’s eyes narrowed as she gave Crash a wary glance, but after a moment of silent observation, she walked away from her hiding spot and made her way to Crash, whose eyes shone brightly when the girl showed him the plushie she was cradling. Tawna couldn’t help but find the sight adorable, and she knelt down next to her boyfriend.

“Crash is a fox?” she inquired, her innocent ocean gaze locked on the marsupial in front of her.

Crash shook his head, and the other mutant offered Nina a warm smile as she explained:

“He isn’t. Crash and I are bandicoots.”  
“Nina didn’t ask you.” the little girl shot her a death glare, taking Tawna by surprise. “Nina was talking to Crash.”  
“Crash can’t talk, princess.” Cortex laughed after giving Nina’s hair an affectionate ruffle. “He is veeeery nice and you can ask him all the questions you want, but Tawna is going to have to translate.”  
“No!” Nina blew a raspberry to the blonde, who did her best to keep her composure as she was feeling both amused and a bit offended. “Not Tawna! Crash!”  
“Yes, yes, Crash will be there all the time. And Tawna too.” Cortex warned, his tone becoming a bit stricter. “Now, be a good little girl and be nice to them both.”  
“Mmmmh…” Nina mumbled, stomping to show her disagreement.

Before Cortex could add anything, the toddler threw herself at Crash, giving him a warm hug.

“Crash is very soft!” she giggled, the bandicoot’s fur tickling her. Crash couldn’t help but melt at the adorable sight, and he hugged Nina back before lifting her up, making the little girl laugh.  
“No shenanigans, you two little rascals, alright?” Cortex warned before turning towards Tawna. “Well, it looks like Nina already likes Crash, so that should make it easier.”  
“I guess so.” the blonde barely refrained from rolling her eyes. “At least they look like they’re having fun.”

Crash was now carrying Nina over his head as he made airplane noises, and the giggling toddler’s arms were reaching out on her sides, as if she was pretending to fly.

“I didn’t expect any less from the future general of my troops.” Cortex felt a sudden burst of pride fill his chest. “Alright, I’ll see you three tonight! Ta-ta!”

Before Tawna could say anything, the scientist was gone, and she was left with her boyfriend and Nina.

* * *

If you asked Crash, the day went on perfectly. Nina was always asking him questions, she included him in all of her play-pretend games and even let him handle her precious fox plushie. The two of them even napped together, Crash sprawled on the nursery’s floor and Nina curled against him, her head resting on his belly, his warm fur making a wonderful pillow.

On the other hand, the only thing Tawna had enjoyed about the day was being able to witness the precious sight of her boyfriend taking care of a toddler. It was as if he had done it his whole life, managing to calm Nina down when she showed signs of an imminent tantrum, happily taking part in her games and even coming up with games of his own.

Otherwise, that babysitting experience had been nothing short of a nightmare. Whenever Crash had his back turned, Nina did her absolute best to stick her tongue at Tawna or provoke her any way she could. The only time Nina had offered the bandicoot to lend her a doll, it had only been to instantly grab it from her hands, look Tawna dead in the eye and rip the poor doll’s head out without breaking eye contact.

Of course, after the whole Cortex Vortex fiasco, Cortex was left without what had been his best babysitter so far, leaving him to find yet another candidate for the job.

* * *

“Did Cortex mention anything about taking care of children in your hiring interview?”  
“You’re not helping, Coco. And for the last time, it’s _Doctor_ Cortex.”  
“Yeah, yeah, sorry.”

Coco didn’t even try to pretend she really was sorry anymore, and N. Gin knew it was pointless to correct her every time she didn’t use her creator’s title, but he kept on doing it anyways.

It was barely 8 am, and he should be in his laboratory, tools in each hand and the skeleton of his latest invention – a new, more resistant rocket launcher for his beloved giant robot - laid out in front of him, but because Cortex had barged in his lab half an hour ago and explained something about an emergency and needing someone to take care of Nina, he now found himself sitting on a pastel pink couch in the middle of a nursery, with a three years old on his lap and a very amused bandicoot sitting next to him.

“Anyways, it might be fun to take care of Nina for a day, right?” Coco asked as she watched Nina go through a picture book about the Australian wildlife. “We’ve both been spending so much time in the lab lately, it’s going to do us some good to do something else.”  
“Speak for yourself.” N. Gin grumbled as Nina followed the book’s thick text with a finger. “I hate kids.” he mouthed to the blonde, not wanting his boss’ niece to hear that.  
“Well if you’re starting with that mindset, of course you’re going to have a bad time.” Coco rolled her eyes, before gently poking Nina’s cheek. “Is there anything in particular you want to do today with aunt Coco and uncle Gin?”  
“ _Uncle Gin_?!” the redhead almost chocked on his saliva as he repeated the nickname, oblivious to the malicious grin Coco shot him.

Intrigued by Coco’s offer, Nina closed her book and let it fall on the ground, before looking at her with pensive eyes.

“You have very pretty hair.” she complimented as she reached for Coco’s ponytail.

Happy to have the occasion to get rid of the weight on his lap, N. Gin carefully handed Nina to the bandicoot, and the toddler sat on Coco’s knees, facing her.

“Thank you very much, princess.” the bandicoot smiled as she took Nina’s small hands in hers. “You have very beautiful hair too. Did your uncle give you piggy tails?”  
“Mmmh!” Nina nodded, said piggy tails bobbing and brushing against her shoulders. “And he even put bows! Look!”  
“I see, that’s very nice of him.” Coco admired as she poked one of the two black velvet ribbons, silently finding it both endearing and puzzling that an egotistical maniac bent on world domination took such loving care of a little girl.  
“Can I give you bows too? I have a lot!” Nina offered, pointing at the shelf that housed the countless hair accessories her uncle had bought her since she was a baby.  
“With pleasure!”  
“Uncle Gin too!” Nina cheerfully turned towards the redhead, making him blink in surprise.  
“Uh… I don’t have enough hair.” the scientist pointed to his short ginger strands, puzzled and unsure if he wanted Nina to go anywhere near his face.  
“Hmm…”

The little girl seemed deep in thought for a while, then she climbed down from Coco’s lap and up N. Gin’s, before petting the cybernetic half of his face.

“Then I can put a loooot on the rocket!” she suddenly exclaimed, causing N. Gin and Coco to exchange a startled glance.  
“Hum, Nina, it’s a fragile thing, and-” Coco began, a bit worried that she might accidentally hurt the cyborg or herself.  
“You’re… you’re not scared of it?”

N. Gin’s voice was uncharacteristically wobbly, and the bandicoot’s eyes softened when she saw how bewildered the scientist was as Nina kept petting his metallic cheek.

“No! I’m not scared!” she puffed. “Rockets are cool. Uncle Gin is cool!”  
“Huh…”

Silence fell between the three of them, with Nina being oblivious to how moved N. Gin was and how close to tears her words had brought him. Ever since the… accident, people had treated him like a monster, not bothering to hide their disgust or horror at the missile planted on the side of his head and at the resulting damage. To have such a naive and honest little thing treat it as if it wasn’t a big deal, nothing more than some neat characteristic he had, meant the world to him, and Coco was aware of that, happy that Nina’s words had unwittingly cheered the gloomy scientist up.

“Then you shall decorate it as much as you like!” N. Gin suddenly exclaimed with a smile as he lifted Nina up, wincing a bit under her weight. “Let’s make it even cooler!”  
“Yay!” the toddler laughed, soon joined by Coco, and the three of them headed towards Nina’s hair accessories stash, each of the mechanics holding one of the girl’s hands.

* * *

With such a heartwarming beginning, Coco and N. Gin had assumed the rest of the day would be a breeze, a peaceful and merry moment filled with laughter, makeovers and hugs.

Nothing had prepared them for what Nina had in store for them; once she had given Coco a ridiculous hair do, covered the entire length of N. Gin’s missile with headbands to the point of it becoming so heavy it was painful, and smeared horrifyingly cheap makeup all over their faces, Nina had decided their makeovers - Coco's in particular - needed to be even more extreme.

She had used a moment of inattention from her temporary caretakers to make her way to the nursery’s sewing station. After spending so much of her time in this room, she had learned where everything was, and Nina had immediately reached for the scissors a humanoid assistant had unfortunately forgotten to put back in a locked drawer. The clever toddler had hidden her prize in her back before offering Coco to give her an even better hairdo.

The poor bandicoot had accepted, and under N. Gin’s very surprised and amused eyes, Nina had clumsily used her scissors on Coco’s blonde mane, cutting it right above the shoulders in one messy snap.  
The telltale noise of the scissor’s blades snipping and their unforgiving cold against her neck had made Coco scream as soon as she had realized what Nina had just done. Horrified, she had reached for her hair, only for her hand to grab nothing but air as long blonde strands fell all around her.

It had taken all of her willpower not to give Nina a slap or two when she had turned around and found the toddler giggling. Coco had taken the scissors away from her, earning a pout and a whine from Nina, and right as she was starting to give her a proper scolding, N. Gin had erupted in laughter to the point of rolling on the floor, in tears, and being unable to stop himself.

Coco had never been so close to committing a double homicide, but she had refrained at the last moment. She had pretended to laugh as well, but the sharp coldness of her laughter and the murderous glare she had shot N. Gin had been enough to take him out of his own euphoric giggles. He knew that look. He had seen it exactly once before, when Dingodile had stolen Coco’s laptop to mess with her and had then accidentally broken it in the process.

He still remembered Dingodile’s screams of agony when, the next day, his flamethrower had “malfunctioned” and severely burned his arm.

Coco had simply scolded Nina for using a dangerous object and for cutting her hair without permission, then the bandicoot had acted as if everything was fine for the rest of the day. But N. Gin had spent the rest of their time with Nina on edge, convinced the mutant was going to unleash something terrible on him.

But nothing had happened.   
That is, until Cortex had stepped inside the nursery around midnight, Nina already soundly asleep in her bed, Coco and N. Gin sitting next to her and starting to doze off as well. Of course, Cortex had immediately noticed the awful state of Coco’s hair; she took amazing care of her beautiful mane, and everyone in the castle knew how important it was to her. To N. Gin’s unpleasant surprise, Cortex had inquired about it right after asking if Nina was alright, allowing the redhead to witness just how good of an actress Coco was.

“Oh… that… well, N. Gin wanted to do well, you know? He wanted to take good care of Nina, so you’d be happy. And he thought it might be a good opportunity to teach her a bit about being evil, so while I was making lunch, he gave her scissors and suggested she gave me a surprise haircut. Pretty evil, right? I didn’t see it coming when she offered to braid my hair!”

N. Gin had been so taken aback by Coco's act that he’d been unable to call her lie out, especially not with Cortex’s increasingly murderous stare piercing right through him.

“No, I, uh, I can explain, uh-”  
“You. Gave. Scissors. To. My. Niece.” Cortex had breathed out each word as he had made his way to the shivering scientist, his voice low enough not to wake Nina up but his tone still infuriated. “A. Three. Years. Old. Girl.”  
“No, that’s not what happened!” N. Gin had whispered miserably, feeling very little under Cortex’s demented aura.  
“You expect me to believe that Coco cut her hair just so she could get you in trouble?”  
“No! Nina _did_ cut it, but-”  
“But nothing. We’re going to have a little chat, you and I. Coco, you’re free to go.”  
“Sure, doctor.” The bandicoot nodded in Cortex’s back, the very picture of innocence.

Her vicious grin and the crazy light in her eyes were anything but innocent, and if N. Gin’s heart hadn’t already been beating madly at the perspective of his boss’ imminent verbal lashing, Coco's expression would have been enough to make his heart drum painfully fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this story! It was super fun to write :) I love the idea of Nina being both adorable and already quite evil!  
> (also disregarding IAT's canon a bit in that Crash was given a name pretty early in his training)  
> See you tomorrow!


	11. December 11 - Blooming love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> Sorry for not posting yesterday, I've been pretty miserable lately. Important exams this week + being sick is a terrible combination I don't wish on anyone.
> 
> Anyways, today's entry is going to be romantic for a change! With a pairing I haven't seen anywhere else. Said pairing probably going to sound wild to you, but please give me, this ship and this fic a chance OTL 
> 
> Be ready for some Megumi x Pinstripe goodness <3  
> Enjoy!! 
> 
> (NB: Liz is referred to as Elizabeth here!)

Unlike Cortex and Brio’s other experiments, Pinstripe didn’t spend the majority of his time at the castle. He had a business – a power plant, to be precise – to run, and even though he had men to help around, the gangster still had a busier schedule than most other mutants. On top of that, Cortex’s lair was on the other side of the island, and going all the way to the castle wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.

The only moments he went back to the castle were on weekends. As evil as Cortex was, he still allowed the CEO to work only five days a week, a courtesy Pinstripe extended to his underlings (as long as there were always a few of his men on duty; accidents didn't get days off). The potoroo didn’t have many friends amongst Cortex and Brio’s other experiments, but it was still enjoyable to be able to mingle with the other mutants, and the castle offered a nice change of scenery from the Cortex Power compounds.

On a particular Sunday morning, Pinstripe decided to have his breakfast in the mess hall. He’d usually ask one of his lackeys to bring him toast and coffee in his bedroom, but for once, the potoroo felt like spending some time with his fellow Evolvo Ray’d companions. It was around 9 am when he left his room, which meant he’d most probably see Komodo Joe, Elizabeth and Dingodile. Tiny and Koala Kong were almost certainly already at the castle’s gym, and he was ready to bet his left hand that Komodo Moe was sleeping in. As for Ripper Roo… well, Pinstripe never really knew what to expect of the zaniest mutant, so he guessed Roo was somewhere in the middle of the jungle, enjoying a breakfast of his own, with a lot of explosives involved.

As Pinstripe went past the mess hall’s door, he cracked a smile – of course, he’d been entirely right. Joe and Dingodile were apparently in the middle of a heated discussion, Elizabeth was digging into a huge bowl of cereal, and-

Oh. There was someone new sitting at her table, someone Pinstripe had never seen before.

From where he was standing, the CEO was able to tell it was probably a female bandicoot. The table hid some of her clothes, but it seemed like she was entirely dressed in white, although there were a few colorful splatters on her sleeves. She had short, electric blue hair, and yellow safety goggles were perched on top of her head.

Always interested when Cortex and Brio created a new mutant – especially when they seemed, at least from afar, particularly pretty – Pinstripe grinned and headed towards Elizabeth and the other bandicoot to introduce himself.  
As he drew closer to the table, he noticed the way Elizabeth’s small smile turned into a barely concealed frown.

“Eh? Lizzie?” the blue haired bandicoot asked with a tilt of her head, oblivious to the presence in her back. “Are you okay?”  
“I’m fine, thank you. Good morning, Pinstripe.”  
“’morning, Miss Elizabeth.”

Intrigued, the unknown bandicoot spun around so she could face the mutant who’d just spoken, allowing Pinstripe to see what she looked like up-close.  
Her face was similar to Elizabeth’s, although her fur was slightly darker and her cheeks a bit rounder. Her blue bangs fell just above bright, wide eyes, and her irises were unlike anything Pinstripe had ever seen, as if he was staring into brightly lit twin pink topazes.

The bandicoot swiftly got up and offered him a smile, before waving and extending her hand so he could shake it:

“I don’t think I’ve ever met you before! My name is Megumi, and I’m Dr Cortex’s lab assistant! It’s nice to meet you, mister, er…”  
“Don Pinstripelli Potorotti.” he informed her, gently taking her hand in his. “But everyone calls me Pinstripe. Pleasure’s all mine, Miss Megumi.”

As Elizabeth rolled her eyes, Pinstripe leaned down and lowered his head, letting his lips barely brush over Megumi’s hands as she felt the ghost of a kiss being breathed down on her fur.

“Ah, um, you’re a gentleman!” the bandicoot grinned, and as Pinstripe straightened himself, he smugly noticed a hint of a flush on Megumi’s cheeks.  
“Oh yes, Pinstripe is a _reaaaal_ gentleman.” Elizabeth nodded, her sarcasm earning her a death glare from the potoroo. “Just ask all of his goons! They’ll tell you how great of a gentleman their mafia leader is.”  
“M-mafia?!” Megumi’s eyes widened. “Really?!”  
“No, no I’m not part of the mafia.” Pinstripe sighed as he pinched the bridge of his snout, not feeling like dealing with the bandicoot’s animosity on a Sunday morning. “I’m a real respectable CEO of an honest business, and just because my men and I happen to have an… affinity for guns, doesn’t-”  
“Guns?!”  
“See, Megumi?” It was Elizabeth’s turn to look unbearably smug, and Pinstripe wondered what on Earth he’d done to earn the animal caretaker’s ire. “Don’t let yourself be swooned so easily.”  
“Oh…”

Megumi sat down, looking pensive – although she didn’t seem as scared as the gangster thought she’d be. The bandicoot’s inquisitive pink gaze was still locked on him, analyzing and examining, with a hint of fear pooling in her irises.

“Eh, pay Miss Elizabeth no mind.” he shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets and trying his best to look unbothered. “Spendin’ her days talkin’ to no-one else but animals might be doin’ a real number on her. It’s a good thing you’re now here to keep her sane, Miss Megumi. Look after her for me, will ya?”  
“Uh… sure.” the bandicoot blinked, oblivious to the expression of sheer rage Elizabeth now sported. “I’ll spend as much time with Lizzie as I can!”  
“Perfect. Well, see ya two ladies around!” Pinstripe winked at them – though he mostly directed his wink at Megumi, satisfied to win a smile from the blue haired girl in response.

* * *

“Boss, someone’s there to see ya!”  
“Tell them I’m in the middle of somethin’ important.” Pinstripe groaned as he eyed the mountain of paperwork on his desk.  
“Okay.” There was a pause, but unfortunately his henchman’s voice creaked again through the intercom: “She’s sayin’ it’s very urgent, and that she’s been sent by Dr. Cortex.”  
“Pffft… alright, send her in.” the gangster mumbled, already feeling worn out by the imminent conversation.

Cortex had already sent people to discuss matters with him when he didn’t have the time to talk to the CEO himself. Pinstripe wouldn’t mind, but unfortunately, the “people” Cortex chose were lab assistants, and as such it wasn’t as much talking with them as it was hearing them recite the directives Cortex had given them and having to write entire letters in response if there was something the potoroo didn’t agree on or didn’t fully understand.

But as the gangster’s fingers drummed impatiently on his desk, he suddenly remembered that his underling had mentioned a “she”. None of the assistants he’d met so far had been girls… and then, Pinstripe was reminded of his discussion with Megumi from a few days prior, during which she’d introduced herself as “Dr. Cortex’s lab assistant.”

Right on cue, there was an energetic knock on his door. Pinstripe quickly combed his hair with his fingers, emptied his overloaded ashtray in the bin under his desk and straightened his back before raising his voice:

“Come in!”

The CEO put his best smirk on, and just as he had expected, the door opened on Megumi. She was dressed almost exactly as she had been when they met: Megumi had a knee-length white coat, with only its upper half buttoned, revealing a white skirt beneath. Her four limbs were covered in black spandex, and with the blue rubber gloves and boots completing her outfit, the only fur visible was that of her cheerful face.

“Hello, Pinstripe!” the bandicoot greeted jovially as she stepped inside the potoroo’s office. “Thanks for receiving me!”  
“Hello, Miss Megumi. It's a pleasure seein’ you. Have a seat.” he smiled back, and gestured to the empty chairs in front of his desk.

The bandicoot graciously took Pinstripe on his offer and plopped down on the cleanest looking seat, her skirt sprawling around her as she did so.

“Dr. Cortex sent me to review some stuff with you.” Megumi explained as she put the thick files she’d been carrying on the desk, oblivious to the way Pinstripe was dividing his attention between herself and the blueprints she pulled out. "He finds the power plant’s rate of return has been dwindling recently, and he has several propositions to upgrade the infrastructures. Since you have a better knowledge of the terrain than him, Dr. Cortex wants the two of us to go over his plans and choose the best option.”  
“Wew.” Pinstripe whistled, already feeling a headache rising as he was quickly comparing the blueprints he had spread over the piles of paper on his desk. “The boss’ bein’ pretty ambitious.”  
“Yeah, but I’m sure one of these projects can come to fruition! I’ve taken a quick look while your colleague led me to your office, and Cortex Power is already pretty amazing as it is, right? So I’m sure if everyone gives it their all, it’ll be doable!”

Right as she finished her motivational speech, Megumi gave him a double thumbs-up, and Pinstripe was as smitten as he was weirded out by the bandicoot’s contagious enthusiasm.

“If you say so.” he shrugged, grabbing one of the blueprints to examine it more closely.  
“Well, I haven’t been able to look at all of them in detail, since I only took my functions less than two weeks ago, but there’s no reason Dr. Cortex would have only made unbuildable plans, right?”

Pinstripe was _extremely_ tempted to answer “wrong”, but out of loyalty for his creator and because even someone as ruthless as him didn’t want to see Megumi’s warm smile fade away, he opted to nod noncommittally.

* * *

“I’m sure Dr. Cortex will be very happy with the progress!”

Even with a hardhat and safety goggles preventing Pinstripe from properly seeing Megumi’s face, the potoroo could sense the genuine happiness the girl radiated. They had spent their previous encounter choosing which project would be the easiest and quickest to build, and immediately after Megumi’s departure, Pinstripe had summoned an emergency meeting with his employees to plan the future works.

That had been a week ago, and the two mutants were now right in front of what would be the future version of Cortex Power’s entrance, not very far from the current power plant. Pinstripe had shown her around, both so she could testify to Cortex that the potoroo expertly led the works, and as a way to spend some time with the bubbly bandicoot.

“I hope so.” Pinstripe smirked as he started to head back towards the current power plant, Megumi in tow. “My men put in the work, the tears and the sweat, and we’ll have results quickly.”  
“I’m not surprised that they’re as hardworking as you.” the lab assistant nodded. “They have a good example to follow!”  
“Aw, you’re gonna make me blush.”

Megumi giggled, but she raised a surprised brow when once inside the power plant, Pinstripe headed towards his office instead of the staff room, where Megumi had left her files and notes.

“If you wanna leave so soon, I won’t stop you.” The CEO spoke, uncharacteristically softly, when he noticed the bandicoot’s puzzled expression. “I just thought it could be nice to have a drink before you went back to the castle.”  
“Oh… sure!” Megumi nodded.

Pinstripe tried to see past the blue haired girl’s smile, to guess if she was just being polite or genuinely appreciative of his offer. But when Megumi sauntered to catch up with him, he almost fondly laughed at how honest and easy to read the bandicoot was.  
They chatted amicably on their way to Pinstripe’s office, and once inside, the gangster gestured for Megumi to have a seat while he fetched her something to drink.

“Let’s see… I have some wine, some scotch, champagne…” Pinstripe offered as he went through the cabinet in a corner of the room.

The first thing Pinstripe had done after arriving to work, earlier in the morning, had been to check if he had enough fine drinks ready to be served. He had no idea about what Megumi liked, if she enjoyed stronger liquors or lighter drinks, and he wanted to be ready for anything.

“Um… do you have soda or juice?”  
“Huh?”

Her pink eyes blinked innocently at him, and for a second, Pinstripe had no idea if she was making fun of him or being serious.

“I don’t handle alcohol very well.” She informed him as she rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. “I found that out after Lizzie stole – er, borrowed a bottle from Dr. Cortex’s personal bourbon reserve. I’m sorry…”  
“Hey, no need to apologize.” Pinstripe shook his head, silently wondering if by chance someone had left some soda cans in the recreation room’s fridge. “I’ll see if I can find you somethin’.”  
“Oh, no, it’s okay!” Megumi flailed her hands, even more embarrassed. “I don’t want to bother you… I’m not that thirsty anyways. But I can still stay for a bit, um, if that’s fine!”  
“It’s more than fine.” Pinstripe chuckled as he grabbed something from the cabinet and headed towards a very surprised bandicoot. “I still have somethin’ for you though, Miss Megumi.”

Internally cursing the ridiculous and juvenile burning sensation he felt growing around his cheeks, Pinstripe sat in front of the lab assistant and graciously handed her a large bouquet of bright pink flowers.

“Oh!” Megumi blinked several times before clumsily reaching for the bouquet, whose colors matched her eyes’ so beautifully. “That’s really, really sweet, thank you!” the bandicoot inhaled deeply as she carefully but firmly held the flowers close to her chest and face.  
“That’s the least I could do to thank you for coming so often.” Pinstripe was delighted that his little attention had the expected effect. “I don’t get to see a lot of people around here, except for my men. It’s a nice change.”  
“I’m just doing my job, but I appreciate it all the same.” Megumi smiled happily. “It’s nice to see you as well! It’s very interesting to work with Dr. Cortex, but I also like going on the field and stuff.”

They remained silent for a while, Megumi admiring the flowers, and Pinstripe admiring Megumi. Suddenly, the bandicoot seemed to realize something, and her eyes left the bouquet to meet Pinstripe’s:

“Wait, are those gerberas?”  
“I… I think they are, yeah?” the potoroo hesitated as he looked at the flowers.

Truth was, Pinstripe had no clue if they were. He had tasked one of his men with finding a beautiful bouquet for Megumi, only asking he used pink flowers and didn’t put any roses or chrysanthemums. He didn’t want to admit so in front of the bandicoot, though.

“Is… is this a problem? Are you allergic?” Pinstripe inquired, trying his best not to sound too worried or aggressive.  
“No, not at all! I just happen to love flowers, but I still have a bit of trouble identifying them sometimes, so I just wanted to be sure.”  
“I see.”

There was another moment of silence, during which Megumi quietly let her eyes roam over the fuchsia petals, leaving Pinstripe to silently take in the peaceful sight.

From the various chemical stains on Megumi’s lab coat attesting of her clumsiness, to her carefree and joyful demeanor, the bandicoot seemed to radiate energy, cheerfulness and joie de vivre from her every pore; a sharp contrast with the sudden peaceful aura she now exuded as she sat silently, lost in the contemplation of the bouquet she’d just been gifted.

Pinstripe mentally slapped himself. He was a ruthless CEO, the fierce leader of an armed gang and one of Cortex’s right-hand men – he didn’t have time for such silly, almost romantic considerations. His gift to Megumi had only been to thank her for coming all the way from Cortex’s castle by herself and insisting on going back alone, without depriving Pinstripe of any of his men to escort her back. It wasn’t supposed to be a way to flirt with her, he wasn’t supposed to see her as anything more than a talented worker who also happened to be charming and beautiful and whose company he enjoyed and –

“Thank you very much, Pinstripe. They’re absolutely gorgeous.” Megumi finally spoke, giving the potoroo a smile so serene and genuine Pinstripe’s concerns completely melted away, forgoing all the professionalism Cortex had programmed him to have in favor of the unpredictable and raw infatuation he felt blooming in his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple of mostly useless notes!
> 
> \- Pinstripe doesn't respect all of the hand kissing rules (yes, I watched an entire video on it. Very interesting, if you want I'll link it but it's in French): Megumi isn't married (you can only kiss a married/divorced/widowed woman's hand), she hadn't really offered her hand (since she was just expecting a handshake). What he did correctly was kiss her hand after being introduced to her, inside (you don't do it outside, unless in front of a church or something like that), he leaned down and didn't bring Megumi's hand to his lips, and he only "breathed" a kiss on her hand inside of actually kissing it. 
> 
> \- Gerberas stand for deep love and sweet thoughts :) I have this headcanon Megumi loves flowers and knows a lot about the language of flowers!
> 
> \- This was supposed to be WAAAAY longer... I'm probably going to end up writing a whole fic on those two OTL 
> 
> Hope you liked! See you tomorrow!


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